Save Yourself, I'll Hold Them Back
by CrazyOtaku13
Summary: The sequel to 'The Demon I Cling To.' Eight years have passed and Natasha and Loki have come to find that some old enemies are returning. And this time, for their son.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: It would seem the sequel exists. Not gonna lie, the Twilight trailer came on TV and when Bella said "I'll protect you no matter what," to her kid, I immediately thought of Natasha saying that to her son. And within minutes, this story just came together...**

All was silent in Odin's private chambers. Despite the stillness within the room, the All-Father could sense a familiar presence. "Why do you come here?" he ordered. As he turned his head, a figure appeared in a sudden green mist.

"To find Loki, of course," a woman's voice drawled. She brushed back a strand of her long black hair. Her emerald cape flowed behind her as she made her way towards Odin. The twisted horns of her headpiece cast a shadow against the All-Father. "It's been far too long since we've raised some Hel together," she giggled.

"My son no longer wishes to associate himself with you. Now begone before I cast you out again!" he spat.

She raised a brow. "'Son?' Why the fatherly act? I know how Loki despises you…"

"He has changed for the better."

She folded her arms across her chest. "Is that so? Well, where is he?"

A golden scepter materialized in Odin's hand. "You must leave!" he snapped.

"Oh, I'll go." A smirk formed across her lips. "I'll find Loki myself."

"No, Hela!" the All-Father shouted.

The woman's laughter faded within a mist of green fog from which she had appeared.

...

"Alexei!" Natasha shouted. "Alexei, wake up! You'll be late, I'll be late…" Impatient, she swung open the door to his bedroom, only to find him at his desk, reading in his pyjamas.

"I'm almost done with this chapter," the child told her innocently. He stared up at his mother with his emerald eyes-_her_ eyes.

"Read in the car, you have school and your father and I have work," she reminded him.

"Yes, mom." The eight-year-old hopped out of his chair and proceeded to sift through a drawer for some clothes.

"Thank you," Natasha smiled before leaving the room. She shut the door behind her and sighed. Her little boy was growing up more every day and she couldn't help but feel nostalgic. It seemed like just yesterday when he was just a baby. She headed towards her bedroom to change into her uniform, shutting the door behind her.

"You seem distracted," her husband noticed. He set his book aside on the nightstand.

"He's just like you, you know that?" she informed Loki with a smile.

He smiled in return. "But he looks just like his mother."

"You always hear about kids growing up fast," she noted as she took off her shirt. "I didn't think it was true."

"Why the reminiscing?" Loki asked.

She shrugged, back turned towards Loki as she pulled her uniform from the closet. "He's a good kid."

"Very good, indeed." Loki approached his wife and pulled her against him.

"Loki-no. Not now, we'll all be late!" she warned him.

"I believe we have some time." A sly smirk played upon his lips as he undid her bra.

"Alexei might come in," she reminded her husband.

"Let me tell you something amusing," Loki began as he lifted her into his arms. "Every morning, you wake him and tell him to get dressed." He sat her down on the bed. "He gets dressed, then goes back to reading until _I_ come in and tell him we wouldn't want to anger your mother."

"So my husband and son have some deal going on? Thanks for letting me in on the secret," she smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck as he pinned her down against the mattress. "We really need to go, Loki. Fury will-" She was silenced by his cool lips pressing against hers.

Loki began to tug at her pants. "You were going to remove these anyways, I presume," he cleverly remarked.

"If Fury asks why we're late, we were with Alexei's teacher." The feeling of her husband's fingers tracing against the bare skin of her thigh forced her to give in.

"Such a talented liar you are, my dear," he noted.

"What can I say? You're tempting me," she replied as she undid the straps of his black and green attire.

He finished removing her pants and undergarments, then saved her the trouble by removing his own clothing via his magic.

"You just have it easy, don't you?" she laughed.

"Less trouble on your part." His hands and tongue began exploring her bare skin.

"I like the suits better. They're easier to figure out," she commented, wrapping arms around his neck.

He slid a finger inside her wet sex, making her gasp from the coolness of his touch. There was never a time when he didn't enjoy toying with her like this. "We should make more time for this in the mornings."

"Maybe _before _Alexei has to get up?" She grabbed fistfuls of his black hair, pulling his head down to kiss him.

Loki started off gently, his hips thrusting slowly. "To think you were adamant about this arrangement. Look at you now, my love," he commented as she bit her lip to stifle a moan.

Natasha let out a laugh, only to have it become a gasp as Loki found her sensitive spot. "Y-you do this on purpose, don't you?" Her nails dug into his back.

"You're quite lovely in a flushed state."

"Jerk," she panted.

"Admit that you love it." Soft lips pressed against the crook of her neck.

Natasha tightly grasped his shoulders as she felt herself reaching her orgasm. "Yeah," she managed in between a gasp for air.

Loki leaned in, his breath cold against her flushed skin, and whispered into her ear. "I love you, Natasha."

"Loki!" she moaned as she came.

After several deep thrusts, Loki spilled inside of her. The couple lay sprawled across their bed, catching their breath.

"I'm considering taking the day off now," Natasha said with a grin. She rested her head against the crook of Loki's arm. "This is why we can't do this _every_ morning."

"Then stay home," Loki offered as he stroked her red hair. "I'll take Alexei to school."

Natasha shook her head. "I'll do it. Besides, I think Fury had a message for me."

"A new mission?"

Natasha sat up and made her way to the bathroom to shower. "Probably."

Loki followed after her to accompany her.

...

"Good book?" Natasha asked. From her peripheral vision, she had seen Alexei close his book.

"Yeah." He slipped the book into the book bag resting on the car floor. "I like these books-dad's mythio-…" He staggered on the word.

"Mythological," Natasha corrected.

"Those ones. Do you read them, mom?"

"I've flipped through them, yeah."

"Can I read your books?" he asked.

She laughed at his request as she immediately thought of the several copies of books in Russian. "You might not understand them, kid."

He shot her a pouty face. "You and dad say I'm smart all the time!"

"Learn some Russian first, then you can read them," she told him jokingly.

"No English books?" he wondered.

"Tell you what, we'll look through the shelves later and read something, okay?" she offered as she made the turn to his school.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed, his green eyes lighting up.

"Have fun, okay?" Natasha told him as the car made its way to the drop-off circle. "I love you, Alexei." She ruffled his wavy black hair before he left.

"Bye, mom. Tell Uncle Thor, and Uncle Clint, and Uncle Phil, and-"

"I'll tell them you said hi," she assured him. She watched as he grabbed his bag and hopped out of the car.


	2. Chapter 2

"What do you have for me, Director?" Natasha asked as she stepped into his office of Director Nick Fury.

"You might not need this once I tell you." In his hand was a manila envelope containing a mission report. "Yelena Belova." He tossed the envelope down on his desk.

"Belova?" Natasha asked in surprise. "Haven't seen her in a while."

"Well, she's under our radar. And not in a good way."

Natasha began to leaf through the envelope's contents. "Where is she this time? If it's out east again, I can-"

"She's here," he stated gravely.

"In the city?" She raised a brow.

"I had some agents who happened to scout her out and about. Any ideas on _why_ she might be here?"

"You're asking me?" Natasha asked as she took a seat.

Nick shrugged. "I know you two have had your share of adventures. Maybe she's come to catch up."

Natasha forced a laugh. "What's she done to get herself noticed?"

"She attempted to impersonate an agent and sneak in," he began. "She ran off before we could catch her."

"I'm on it." She rose from the chair. "Besides, I haven't seen her in years."

"Try not to kill each other," Fury warned her.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "I'll try."

…..

Natasha had been wandering the city all morning in casual dress, searching for a sign of her enemy. So far, no look whatsoever. Checking the time on her phone, it had been a little over an hour. Knowing Yelena, she figured that maybe one of the clothing stores would be another good place to search. As she drove off towards a shoe store, her phone rang and she answered it. The caller ID had listed the number as Alexei's school and she answered quickly answered it. "Hello?"

"Mrs. Odinson?" began the receptionist.

"Yes, this is her. Is Alexei okay?" she asked worriedly.

The lady sounded surprised. "I was just calling to ask if he was sick."

"What?"

"He hasn't been at school," she continued.

"I'll call you back," said Natasha before snapping the phone shut. Maybe he was sick and Loki had taken him home… She didn't want to bother Loki at work until she knew exactly what was going on. Quickly, she drove off to their penthouse.

…

First sign to start worrying-the door left ajar. "Alexei?" she called out. There was silence, followed by a muffled sound. "Alexei!" The sound had been coming from the living room. She ran, only to freeze in place once she got there.

"Well look who it is!" a blonde-haired woman in a black leather cat suit taunted. "Mommy came faster than I expected!" The woman had a hand clasped over a crying Alexei's mouth.

"Let him go, Yelena"! Natasha growled. From her purse, she grabbed her gun and aimed it towards the blonde's head.

Alexei's eyes widened at the sight of the gun.

"Nice to see you too, Natasha," she sarcastically drawled. "So Alexei, was it? _That's_ a name I haven't heard in a while."

"How did you get here?" she demanded.

"Well, you and those Avengers aren't exactly hiding, Natasha darling." She pulled a newspaper clipping from a pouch at her side and held it up for Natasha to see. "I've been keeping an eye on you, Natasha, as any good friend should, and happened to come across _this_ little number." In the photo was all of the Avengers, accompanied by Alexei who sat atop Loki's shoulders. The photo was from several weeks ago after they had won a battle with some hit men. "I heard about the husband before," she began, "but I saw the kid in this picture and thought he looks just like you." The slip of paper fell from her fingers as she knelt down to ruffle Alexei's hair. "I just had to see for myself and _damn!_"

Alexei whimpered and struggled to break away.

"Don't _touch_ him!" Natasha shouted.

"How about giving me some deets, Romanoff?" she asked with a devious smile. "Oh, or should I say Odinson now?"

"Yelena," she growled.

"How'd you manage to make this little cutie? The Red Room kinda tampered with our baby making parts for the job." She eyed the child carefully. "He's gonna be a looker someday." She raised her head to coldly glare in Natasha's direction. "Let's see what the Red Room thinks of him." Before she could utter another word, Natasha fired a shot into each of her ankles. She screamed out in pain and fell forward, releasing Alexei as she fell.

"M-Mommy!" Alexei ran into Natasha's outstretched arms and began to bawl even harder.

"You're okay, sweetie," she whispered as she held him close. "It's okay."


	3. Chapter 3

"Fuck you!" Yelena spat as she lay sprawled in a pool of her own blood. The tendons in her ankle had been shot through, leaving her unable to move. Luckily, her Red Room conditioning would have her up and moving shortly.

Natasha pressed her hands over Alexei's ears. "If Fury didn't want me to bring you in, I'd kill you right now!" she hissed.

"Glad to know you haven't changed," chuckled Yelena. "The second I saw that kid's picture, I was worried you might've gotten a little soft."

"You'll wish I had once Fury lets me deal with you personally!"

Alexei flinched and squeezed his mother's middle.

Yelena couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the child. "He doesn't take after you, that's for sure. This is why he deserves a trip to the-"

"Say it and I swear I'll kill you!" Natasha yelled fiercely. She regretted the tone she had to use since she could feel Alexei shake. After a deep breath, she grabbed her phone to call Loki, then notify Fury.

All the while, Yelena keenly eyed Natasha as she sat on the couch holding her son.

"Alexei, what happened?" Natasha asked quietly. She sat on the sofa, occasionally glancing away from Alexei to make sure Yelena was still in place.

"I-" he sniffed. "I was going into school, a-and the lady grabbed me from a bush."

Natasha glared in the enemy's direction. "How did you know where he'd be?" she demanded.

"'Alexei Lokison,'" she mused. "With a last name like that, good luck going unnoticed, kid! Here I thought you'd use a code name. Hell, Romanoff would've been better. You let him have daddy's name, I take it? Loki," she weakly giggled at the name. The loss of blood and pain were getting to her.

Natasha had been afraid about the last name issue, but with the Avengers being publicly known, there seemed to be no point in hiding it. Alexei was also proud to have both of his parents as heroes. "Alexei," Natasha began gently, "go to your room, okay?"

He shook his head and buried his face against his mother's chest. "I-I'm scared, mommy."

"You'll be fine," she promised. "Your father will be here soon with Uncle Nick." That bit of news seemed to brighten the child's mood. She escorted him to his bedroom, making sure he avoided the sight of the blood as they walked past Yelena. "Let me handle her, okay?" She placed a kiss upon his head.

"Don't let her hurt you, mom!" he cried.

She flashed him an assuring smile. "I've dealt with her plenty of times. I'll be fine."

…

Yelena had forced herself into an upright position when Natasha returned. "Who am I kidding? You _have _gotten soft, Romanoff," she snidely remarked as her fingers traced against the bullet holes in her boots.

Natasha grabbed her gun from off of the floor. "You're only alive right now because my boss ordered it." Now dressed in her black uniform, she tucked the gun into its proper holster.

"Not like you to leave your gun," the blonde commented.

Furious, Natasha lunged at the woman and grabbed her by the shoulders. "I don't want to hear another word from you!" she snapped.

"Sounds like something you tell a kid." Yelena rolled her eyes and grinned.

A growl escaped Natasha's throat as she grabbed the woman by the neck and slammed her head against the blood-covered tile beneath her.

"_That's_ the Tasha I miss!" she commented before kneeing Natasha in the gut.

Natasha fought back by grabbing hold of one of the woman's feet and ruthlessly twisting it until she heard a sickening pop.

"You fucking bitch!" Yelena yelped. "Shit!" she hissed as she plopped to the floor.

Before Natasha could inflict further damage, Loki came running through the penthouse, followed by Fury.

"Natasha- is everything alright?" Loki noticed Yelena on the bloody floor.

"I'll sleep better once she's dead," Natasha darkly replied.

"She stays alive for now, Agent," Fury warned her. "Yelena Belova. It's been a while," he said to the woman on the floor.

"Where's Alexei?" Loki asked his wife.

"His room."

Loki nodded and turned on his heel towards his son's room."Alexei," he announced as he opened the door.

"Dad!" The child jumped off of his bed and ran into his father's arms.

"I'm relieved that you're alright," he breathed as he lifted the boy up.

The small child wiped at his eyes as Loki sat down on the bed with him. "It was scary, dad. But then mom came."

Loki wiped away a tear from Alexei's eye with his thumb. "You're safe now."

"Mom shot her, dad," he whispered.

"Let that be a lesson not to upset your mother." The child's horrified expression made Loki chuckle. "She would never harm you Alexei. Neither of us will," he promised as he smoothed back the boy's black hair.

"Is that lady going to jail?" wondered Alexei.

"Most likely, yes," Loki said in reply. He carefully examined his son's face. "The woman didn't harm you, did she?"

"No," Alexei muttered as he hung his head.

Loki noticed the boy's subtle shaking and grew concerned. "Alexei?" The child responded with a sniff, followed by a choked sob. "Whatever's the matter?" he soothingly asked as he gently lifted his son's chin.

"I-I'm not brave like you and mom." His eyes were puffy and red from all of his crying.

Loki's eyes fell at his son's words. "I wasn't either at your age." The memories of his own childhood began to flood back. There was Thor, ever the brave, and Loki, the more reserved one. Try as he might, Loki could never compare to his older brother… "Your Uncle Thor has always been the brave one. " Comparing himself to Thor didn't bring about the pain as it did in the past. Loki was glad to finally be able to have Thor as his Brother. Ever since their fight with Thanos eight years ago, they had been like true brothers.

"But you fight the bad guys," continued Alexei. "They're scary. Everyone says so."

"It wasn't always that way," he continued forlornly.

Curious, Alexei gazed up at his father.

"Another time," Loki promised with a forced smile. "Stay here while I check outside." He kissed his son on the forehead before leaving.


	4. Chapter 4

"We'll keep her for questioning and see where it goes from there," Nick Fury continued once two agents had helped Yelena into their car.

"This is between her and my family!" Natasha reminded the Director. "She plans to kidnap Alexei. I think she's working for _them_, Nick," she added.

"Why don't you two just take the rest of the day off?" he said tiredly. "If it comes down to it, then your newest assignment will be to ensure your son's safety."

Loki seemed pleased by the idea. Natasha, however, had a bone to pick with Yelena.

"Goodbye, Director Fury," Loki said as he walked with him to the door.

"Wait!" Alexei popped his head out from the hallway. "Hi, Uncle Nick!" The boy waved in Fury's direction.

"Glad you're okay, Alexei. I'm gonna let your parents stay with you for the day, so keep an eye on them for me," Nick said with a wink.

"Really?" asked Alexei excitedly.

"I'll call you if something comes up," Fury told Loki before he left.

"Can we play now?" Alexei eagerly asked.

"Alexei, can you wait in your room while your dad and I clean?" Natasha asked.

"I can help, mom," he offered.

She shook her head. "Not with this, sweetie. Go find a game to play for later," she suggested.

Alexei nodded and scampered off.

Natasha's eyes fixed upon the pool of blood on the floor.

"Natasha?" Loki could instantly tell whenever something was bothering her. Today happened to be one of those days. "He'll be alright. You heard the Director-Alexei could be our next assignment. It's not every day that we're partnered together," he added with a smirk.

She glared at her husband from beneath her long lashes. "She came for our _son_, Loki!"

"Alexei will be just fine, love," he promised her.

"Do you know what she wants to do, Loki?" she asked through clenched teeth "She wants to take him to that-that-" She couldn't bring herself to say the name of the place that managed to give the Black Widow nightmares. Her eyes lowered to the blood and all she could think of was the horrors brought about by the Red Room. As her reflection stared back at her amidst the puddle of red, she swore she could see Alexei's face for a second. Her stomach churned and she brought a hand to her mouth.

"Natasha!" Loki exclaimed in alarm.

The memories of what happened to her in the past had been carefully tampered with. She may never be able to remember what they did, but she could imagine what they would do to her child. Loki approached her out of concern, but she shoved him away and ran to the kitchen to empty the contents of her stomach.

"I'm so sorry," Loki whispered as he held back her hair for her. He knew that anything related to the Red Room was a sensitive subject. Once she finished, he handed her a damp towel. "Believe me, Natasha, when I say that nothing-_no one-_ will bring harm to our son," he vowed. "no danger will come to him-not ever."

Natasha stared up at him with a nervous expression. As hard as she tried to hold herself together, her tough exterior began to crack. "I… I'm worried, Loki." She pursed her lips and bowed her head.

It upset Loki to see his wife in such a state. He was used to her being the tough one at times like these. Now it seemed that it was his turn to be the strong one. "We'll be alright," he assured her as he wrapped his arms around her. "You're forgetting who Alexei's parents are," he added with a smile. "This woman is no match for us, Natasha," he continued, staring into her emerald orbs.

"Sometimes I wonder what I'd do without you." She buried her face in his chest.

He rested his cheek against her red curls. "You complete me, Natasha," he murmured. "Both you and Alexei."

The couple stood in the kitchen in a silent embrace until Alexei walked in, a video game case in hand. "Did you finish cleaning yet?" he asked eagerly.

"I'll clean up," Loki whispered against Natasha's hair. "Keep him occupied."

Natasha smiled down at Alexei. "Give me a second to clean myself up and we'll play," she promised.


	5. Chapter 5

"'Prince Vasili always spoke languidly, like an actor repeating a stale part…'" Natasha stopped mid-sentence while reading _War and Peace _to see that Alexei had fallen fast asleep at her side. "I knew he wouldn't like the book," she quietly giggled.

"He's had a long day." Loki tousled his son's hair and smiled. "He seems much better now," he noted.

Natasha snapped her book shut. "Video games, pizza, and a boring book will do that to a kid,"

Loki lifted the child into his arms and carried him off to his bedroom to tuck him in.

Natasha sat on the edge of the bed, watching Alexei sleep without a care in the world. "Good night, Alexei," she whispered before kissing him on the cheek.

"You should rest, too," said Loki softly.

"I'm not really tired." She got up from the bed and left the room with Loki.

"We can finish where we left off this morning," he slyly suggested.

Natasha grinned in reply. "I'd like that."

Loki was glad to see his wife in better spirits. He figured that playing with their son and seeing him smiling was a reassurance to her that everything was just fine.

Once in their bedroom, Natasha began to undress and Loki followed suit.

"Let me help you with that," Loki purred as he hooked a finger around her panties. Slowly, he tugged them down her slender legs.

Natasha rested her head against the pillow, waiting for Loki to hover over her and kiss her. Instead, Loki remained at the bed's edge and began to crawl over her until he reached her hips. She sat up on her haunches, meeting his gaze.

He grabbed her thighs as he dipped his face in between them. His lips brushed against her inner thigh and gradually made their way up to her love below.

Natasha fell into the mattress, unable to keep her balance. "Loki!" she gasped as she felt his tongue slither against her clit.

His tongue began to lick against her innermost walls, tracing circles against her moist core.

Her fingers snaked their way into his hair and pulled at his scalp. "D-Don't stop!" she moaned. She felt her muscles begin to contract, making her toes curl as she began to shake. His name slipped past her lips in the form of a moan as she came.

Loki lapped up her contents and sat up. His thumb wiped away a bit of the remaining cum from his lips.

Natasha felt the remaining stress from her day vanish. As her eyes darted over to her husband, she couldn't help but notice his erect member. "Your turn now?" she asked with a clever grin. Before he could reply, she crawled over to him and lowered her head. She licked his shaft before taking his stiff cock into her mouth.

Loki grabbed her hair, coaxing her to move faster.

Just to tease her husband, Natasha stopped sucking and gingerly pushed him back against the bed. She positioned herself onto his hips and leisurely slid his dick inside of her.

A pleasured groan escaped his throat. His hands grasped her hips as he allowed her to ride him until he came.

Natasha collapsed onto the bed at his side as her breathing became steady.

Loki drew her close to his bare chest and kissed her hair.

"I love you, Loki," she whispered.

"I love you, too, Natasha," he replied.

Exhausted, she soon fell asleep, curled against Loki's side.

…

The doorbell rang at an early hour of the morning, forcing Loki and Natasha awake almost instantly. As if a reflex, Natasha eyed the nightstand where she kept her gun locked away. "You don't think it's her, do you?" Natasha asked.

"I'll answer it," Loki said as he reached for a pair of pants.

Natasha decided to slip on some clothes and leave the room to go check on Alexei. She peeked through the crack in his door to find him fast asleep.

Loki peered through door's peek hole and he threw the door open in alarm. "Father!" he gasped.

Odin stared up at Loki with a grave expression. "Hela has returned, Loki," he began. "She's looking for you."

Loki felt his body tense at the very mentioning of the woman. "Did she say what she needed of me?"

Odin shook his head.

"Does she know of my whereabouts?" he asked as he allowed his father inside.

"I fear she just may," he began.

Natasha happened to walk in and stared at Loki curiously.

"When Thor was gone from us, I believe she might have kept an eye on his soul. He came back to us, and that just might give her an idea of where to start." The All-Father looked his son in the eyes. "I came as quickly as possible, Loki. I do not want for her to harm you or your family."

"I understand," Loki replied as he lowered his eyes.

"Loki, what's going on?" Natasha asked as she folded her arms across her chest.

Loki stared from Odin, to his wife. "It would seem that I, too, have an enemy coming to pay me a visit."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for reading, guys! And also thanks to those who are following/reviewing/faving! I hope you guys enjoy! Also just to clear some things up, Instead of Hela being Loki's daughter, she's more of an old 'acquaintance' of Loki's in this story...**

"Her name is Hela," Loki began.

Natasha sat beside him on the couch, intently listening.

Loki folded his hands in his lap, searching for where to begin.

"As a child, she tried to kill Thor," Odin chimed in from his place at the armchair across from the couple. "I sentenced her to guard the realm of the lost souls. However, it does not seem to be enough to satisfy her. Still, she sought Thor's soul. Several times, she has even tried to take my own life…"

"I agreed to help her kill my brother," Loki admitted. He knew Odin wouldn't bring himself into saying the reason as to how Loki became associated with her. "That's all in the past," he solemnly added, looking his father in the eyes. "I haven't spoken to her in years. You don't suppose she thinks that Thor's death eight years ago was on my behalf, do you?"

"Anything is possible, my son."

"So what do we do?" Natasha asked.

"If she shows up, then I'll face her myself…" Loki gave his wife's hand a gentle squeeze.

…..

After Odin's departure, Loki and Natasha couldn't manage to fall back asleep. Loki contemplated giving Thor a call, while Natasha worried over how this situation would affect Alexei.

"We'll be okay, right?" she abruptly asked as she poured two cups of tea.

"You have nothing to worry about," Loki promised. He held her hips as he stood behind her. "I'll discuss the matter with Thor in the morning. I'll go find her myself."

Natasha set the teapot down with more force than necessary. "You can't leave, Loki. Not alone, and not with Alexei in danger!" she protested.

"This is for the best, my love." He grabbed a cup of tea and added three scoops of sugar to the steaming mug.

She placed her hand over the cup and glared up at her husband. "I don't like this, Loki. Something doesn't seem right…"

He watched her curiously. "Is this because Hela is a woman? Natasha, our relationship is nothing—"

"No, Loki!" she defensively snapped. "It's not—" She stopped and turned her head to the side, same as Loki.

"Why are you yelling?" Alexei sadly asked from the kitchen's entrance.

"Oh," Natasha lowered her voice. "Sweetie, it's okay. Go back to sleep."

"I can't," he whined. "I had a dream that lady took me away…" He stared down at the floor and pulled at the end of his shirt.

Loki went over and knelt down before the boy. "How about some hot chocolate?" he offered. "Then you can sleep in our bed tonight."

Alexei nodded in a silent agreement.

Natasha suddenly felt a feeling of guilt wash over her. Somehow, she felt that Alexei's nightmares were her own fault. Maybe she would have to deal with Yelena on her own accord…

Alexei slept snuggled between his mother and father for the remainder of the night. After six that morning, Natasha's phone began to ring and she went to answer it in the bathroom. "Yes, Director?" she asked tiredly.

"Take the day off," Fury began. "I'm assigning you to watch over your son. As for Loki, I need him to come in."

"And Belova?" she wondered.

"We've got her locked up in a cell here."

"I'd like to come in soon and talk to her myself," she explained.

"This can wait, Agent," he warned her. "Right now, I just need Loki."

"Loki?" she repeated, slightly irritated. Why did _he_ get to go in while she stayed?

"I just received word-Thor's being held hostage by a woman claiming to know Loki…"


	7. Chapter 7

Loki allowed himself into the bathroom and stared at Natasha as she leaned against the marble countertop with the phone pressed to her ear.

"I'll let him know," Natasha said as she looked her husband in the eyes. She hesitated before ending the call.

"Director Fury?" he guessed.

"Hela's got Thor. You're needed there," she informed him, crossing her arms.

His eyes grew wide. "Is he alright?"

"Sounded like a hostage situation."

"And you?" he asked.

"I have to watch Alexei. New assignment," she drawled.

He reached out to touch her face. "You seem upset about this."

"It feels like I'm back on maternity leave or something."

"I'll deal with Hela and surely, Director Fury will have me assigned with you. He promised," he reminded her with a smile.

"Yelena's locked up, but I don't know what to do with Alexei. Should he go to school, or?..."

"Give him the day off. Just stay with him, Natasha," he quietly continued.

She lowered her head. "I feel like it's my fault. He had one nightmare last night, what if this keeps up?"

Gently, he grabbed her chin and lifted her head to meet her gaze. "We will be alright."

"Be careful, Loki. Please." She stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

…

Loki arrived at S.H.I.E.L.D. as quickly as he could. He stepped into Nick Fury's office, a bit frantic. "Where is she? And Thor?"

"Avengers Tower." Director Fury rose from his chair and led Loki out of his office and down the narrow hallway. "She's got Thor's level of the penthouse locked down with a spell of some kind," he continued. "Rogers showed up to get Thor around 6AM, but some woman answered the door and said she was looking for _you_."

"Her name is Hela," Loki began. "We… Well, we've conspired against Thor in the past," he explained.

The two got into Fury's car. "So this is about you?" Nick wondered.

"She wants Thor dead, I presume."

"Do you need back up?" he asked.

Loki shook his head in reply.

"Just a warning-try not to blow anything up," he warned the god. "I know how that magic can get and Mrs. Stark doesn't have the time to be dealing with renovations."

Loki forced a smile. "I'll try."

….

Loki stood at the entryway to Thor's penthouse. Behind him was Nick Fury, along with Tony, just for safe measure. "Hela!" he shouted as he pounded on the door.

"Huh, Cap apparently got shocked when he tried that one," Tony mused.

"She's put up a barrier," Loki informed him. "My power is unaffected by it."

The door opened and a woman with flowing black hair wearing nothing more than a piece of green drapery tastefully across her shoulders answered. "Well, well. It's been a long time, Loki."

"Yeah, I'd comment on the crazy headgear you guys wear," Tony began as he noticed the black headpiece with crooked horns, "but that's not what stands out at the moment." His eyes focused on the woman's large breasts that had been partially covered by her hair and the drapery.

Loki glared back at Tony. "Leave us!" he growled.

Tony winked at Hela as Fury grabbed his arm and dragged him away.

"You haven't changed at all," Hela crooned as she pressed her head against Loki's chest.

"Where is Thor?" he demanded as he pushed her aside.

She raised a brow and her blood-red eyes stared into his. "Tell me, Loki, why the sudden concern? It would seem that Odin's accepted you into the family."

"I've changed," he said under his breath. "Now where is my brother?"

"He's alive," she giggled. "For now, at least."

"Leave him alone, Hela!" he growled. "My business with you is finished." He pushed her away with his left hand and allowed himself in.

Hela took notice of a gold ring around his ring finger. "This is cute, Loki. Whatever is it?" she asked as she grabbed his hand. "This is a Midgardian wedding symbol, is it not?"

Loki pulled his hand close to his side and made his way through the penthouse.

"You're awfully quiet… Could it be you've found a bride, Loki?" she wondered as she trailed behind him.

"It is nothing that concerns you, Hela."

"Oh, but it does, Loki!" she smiled. "I thought you and I had something special."

Loki found Thor lying on his bed with his mouth, wrists, and ankles bound by one of Hela's spells. He was able to undo her magic with his own.

"Thank you, Loki," said Thor as he sat upright on the bed. "For this, Hela, you will face a most unpleasant punishment!" he snarled at the woman.

"Oh, hush, Thor!" she snapped. "I only used you to bring my dear Loki to me."

"What are your intentions, Hela?" Loki asked calmly enough.

Hela fixed her eyes upon Thor. "I'd rather not discuss plans with the likes of him here…"

"Leave us, Thor."

"Loki, she is a danger to us!" Thor protested.

"I will be fine," he assured his brother. "My loyalty lies with S.H.I.E.L.D., now," he reminded him. "Go and find the Director."

Thor nodded and left them to their business.

"I'd like your help, Loki," Hela began once Thor had vanished. "Why settle for the souls of Thor and Odin when I can have so much more?"

"What are you getting at, Hela?"

"I plan to bring my army of lost souls to overtake this realm," she grinned. "Together, we can rule, Loki."

Loki's gaze hardened. He thought back to his own failed plans to overcome what he now looked upon as his home. "I refuse." He felt as though by declining, he had just declared a war. He then wondered if the Avengers would be able to defeat Hela and her army…


	8. Chapter 8

"What's happened to you, Loki?" asked Hela with a hint of sadness in her voice. "The Loki I know would jump at this idea." She grabbed his left hand and glared at the ring. "Is this what's changed you?"

He tore his hand away from her grasp. "I've changed, Hela. I no longer crave that need for power…"

"Are you sure about that, Loki?" she smiled seductively as she touched his face. "Maybe deep, _deep _down, that old you still exists…"

The penthouse's front door slammed open and Hela turned around. "Did you raise my barrier, Loki?"

"Stay where you are, Hela," Loki warned her as Tony appeared in the bedroom doorway, equipped with the arm of an Iron Man suit, along with the Black Widow.

"You're under arrest, lady," Tony ordered. "What do you think, Widow? Bigger than you, right?" he jokingly remarked.

"I'll get you later for that," Natasha growled as she raised her gun at the scantily clad woman with Loki.

Hela began to laugh. "You send mortals to deal with a goddess?"

"You're forgetting that I know your weakness, Hela," Loki reminded her as he ripped the jade green fabric from over her shoulders. Tony managed to catch an eyeful of the woman's body before she fell to the ground screaming. The left side of her ivory skin began to decay almost instantly.

"She's powerless without this," Loki explained as he rolled the fabric up.

"What happened?" Tony asked as he and Natasha approached Hela's body.

"She's lost all power," said Loki. "She is no longer a threat to us."

"Bastard!" Hela spat at Loki as the left side of her hair fell against her face.

"Not so hot now, huh, Stark?" Natasha remarked.

He shrugged. "Just that one half."

Natasha stared in Loki's direction. "You're sure she isn't a threat?"

"So long as we keep this from her." He handed the fabric to Natasha as he lifted Hela up into his arms. "We have a cell prepared, I presume?"

"Yeah," Natasha replied.

Loki nodded and carried Hela's body out of the room.

"So are you jealous?" Tony asked Natasha as they followed Loki out of the penthouse.

"Of course not!" she growled.

"I'm sensing something," he winked.

Natasha flashed him a cunning smirk. "Pepper's going to _love_ hearing about what _you _got to see today."

"Hey, she's the one wearing a sheet!" he retorted in defense.

…

Hela had been locked up in the primary holding cell with Yelena. She had also been given a S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform to wear to cover up her naked body.

"This has been a good week, I think," Tony remarked as he stared between the two beautiful women that had been locked up.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "I feel sorry for your wife."

Fury had just locked the glass holding cell when he turned to Natasha. "I believe I gave you a mission away from here."

"He's at school," she began. "Stark called and said something about a naked woman with Loki and I grew…concerned." She stared in her husband's direction.

"Belova is being released today and sent back to Moscow," Fury informed her.

"What?!" exclaimed Natasha. "Sir, this is—"

Yelena interrupted before Natasha could finish. "I'm _behaving_, Tasha. Don't worry," she continued in a disappointed tone, "I'm being sent back to the loony bin where I belong, am I right, Nick?"

"We don't have the time for you, Belova," Fury remarked.

"So little Alexei is safe. Satisfied?" she mockingly asked Natasha.

"Until we have confirmation she's been locked up over in Russia, you and Loki watch the child," said Fury. "I believe we're all done here right now…" Fury turned to leave and Tony followed him. Loki and Natasha stayed behind for a last glance at their enemies.

"Tell me, Loki," Hela piped up. "This is the woman, isn't it?"

Before Loki could say anything, Natasha spoke for him. "I'm his wife, yeah."

"Natasha!" he harshly whispered.

"It's alright, Loki," said Hela. "She's charming."

"Let' go, Natasha." He placed a hand on the small of his wife's back and led her away from the holding cell.

"Old lover?" Yelena asked her cell mate once the couple had left.

"Something of the sort," Hela replied as she stared at Yelena in her peripheral vision of her right eye.

"So what are you in for?"

"I had hopes of bringing Loki back to me and helping me rule… Unfortunately, my powers have been taken," she sighed.

Yelena stared at the woman as though she was crazy. "'Powers?'"

"Yes." Hela turned to face the blonde. She brushed back the hair covering the left side of her face, revealing the decaying flesh beneath. "_This _is what becomes of me without my powers."

Yelena wrinkled her nose at the woman's appearance. "That sucks. So what kind of powers do you have?" she asked in an effort to make small talk.

"Oh," Hela drawled, "Levitation, time travel, illusions." The right side of her lip turned up in a grin. "I can kill just with a single touch, even age a person."

Suddenly, Yelena became interested in the woman and the gears in her head began to turn. "So can you get your powers back?"

"My cloak was handed off to Loki's 'boss,'" she sulked. "He's betrayed me," she growled under her breath.

"What if I got your cloak back?" Yelena asked with a wicked grin. "I'm getting out today. I'm sure I can sneak away and steal it back."

"And what do you wish in return?" Hela wondered.

"Well, all I really need is to steal their kid, but I can handle that much by myself."

Hela perked up at the mentioning of a child. "Loki is a father?" she asked in surprise.

"Pretty much," she replied. "I think I have a plan that will leave us both satisfied," Yelena smirked.

Hela inched closer to Yelena. "I'm listening."


	9. Chapter 9

Later in the afternoon, Fury unlocked the cell and Yelena had her wrists cuffed behind her back as two agents prepared to escort her out of the building. Once Fury was out of view, Yelena saw her opportunity to make a break for it. She shoved the agent to her left into a wall and quickly did the same to the one on her right. With them temporarily down, she fell onto her back and skillfully raised her cuffed hands against the back of her legs until her hands were in front of her body. Before the agents could attack her, she kicked one across the jaw and elbowed the other in the gut. "Too easy," she remarked as she reached into one's pocket for the set of keys to undo the cuffs. Once free, she stole a gun and ID badge from the unconscious agent and made a run for it down the hallway. Luckily for her, Nick Fury had taken her to his office for a private chat, making finding Hela's cloak an easier task.

"Shit! Sh-she took off!" Yelena heard one of the agents yell.

"Stole my gun," said the other. "Sound an alarm and block the exits!"

An alarm soon began to blare throughout the building once Yelena reached Fury's office. She slipped inside and found a green, rolled-up bunch of fabric atop the desk. She snatched it and began to run down to the holding cell. "Too easy," she muttered. Using the stolen ID, she was allowed access to the containment area where Hela was kept. "This it?" she asked as she unrolled the fabric.

"Yes, marvelous!" Hela exclaimed. With another swipe of the ID, the cage opened and Hela made her exit. She accepted the cloak from Yelena and draped it across her shoulders. The festering skin on her left side instantly returned to a flawless shade of ivory. Hela hummed to herself in pleasure once her normal form returned. "Such a shame I can't stay like this."

"It'll only be for a while," Yelena reminded her.

Hela made the cloak take on the same appearance of the uniform she wore and made her skin appear to be rotted, once again. "Now then. The duplicate." With a flick of her wrist, the plan was set into motion.

….

"Freeze, Belova!" Fury shouted as he raised a gun at the woman. Unbeknownst to him, the Yelena he had spotted was all an illusion.

The other Yelena froze in her tracks. She had barely made it to S.H.I.E.L.D.S. main entrance when Nick Fury, along with several other agents, had her cornered. The Yelena clone raised her arms in defeat. She was hand-cuffed and taken to her car to be sent off to the airport.

…..

Natasha answered her phone by the first ring. "Yes, sir?"

Loki set aside his game controller for a moment to stare at Natasha.

"You're losing, dad!" Alexei laughed as his fingers mashed against the buttons.

"Really?" Natasha smiled in Loki's direction. "Give me a call when she's there. I don't care what time it is." After a goodbye, she set her phone aside. "She tried to escape, but they caught her. Fury said she'll be in Moscow in about nine hours."

"Everything's fine, is it not?" Loki asked.

Alexei suddenly dropped the controller to look at his mother. "She's gone, mom?"

"Yeah, sweetie. You're okay now," she smiled.

"Keep playing," Loki told the boy. "Your mother and I will be right back." He wandered over to the kitchen with Natasha. "Any word on Hela?"

"No, why?" she wondered.

"Curious, is all."

"Loki?" she asked, folding her arms across her chest. "Tell me the truth- were you and her ever…" She paused and he watched her, waiting for her to finish. "Together?"

There was a part of Loki that wanted to chuckle over seeing Natasha's jealous side. "Our relationship was based off an intention of murder." He hesitated for a moment. "We did, however, engage in certain acts."

"You've never mentioned any relationships before, so I was curious." Loki had known all about her and Clint's past relationship, along with a few other boyfriends, but she knew nothing about his previous love life.

"She means nothing to me, Natasha," he assured her as he wrapped his arms around her. "You are the only woman there will ever be for me." His lips met with hers in a romantic kiss.

…

"Tell me," Loki began. He was lying in bed with Natasha, waiting for Fury's call. "Were you jealous?"

"Of Hela?" she asked. "No. I wasn't."

"She is beautiful, though."

Natasha raised a brow as she glared at her husband.

A smirk played at the corners of his lips. "I'm joking." He leaned in to kiss the exposed skin at her neck. "She could never compare to you."

"_That's_ better," she giggled. She rested her head in the crook of his arm and shut her eyes. "What time is it?"

Loki checked the digital clock on the nightstand. "Just after twelve. Rest if you need to. I'll wake you when the Director calls."

"No, it's ok."

He began to quietly chuckle.

"What?" she asked as she snuggled closer to him.

"Remember when we didn't think we'd be fitting parents?" He began to run his fingers through her hair.

"We proved ourselves wrong," she smiled. "I think we're good parents. I mean, we're doing this for Alexei. He's our little boy." Her smile widened.

"The best thing to happen to us," Loki finished. He hugged his wife closer to him when her phone began to ring.

"Yeah?... Okay, Thanks," she said tiredly before hanging up. "And Belova is back where she belongs."

"Goodnight, Natasha."

"Night, Loki," she said before giving him a kiss.


	10. Chapter 10

"They haven't realized you're missing, right?" Yelena asked Hela once she caught sight of her on an empty street. After the fake Yelena had been deployed, Hela had transported the real Yelena outside into the city. Once the fake Yelena had been sent off, Hela was to wait around until meeting the real Yelena at the agreed upon address. The address Yelena had given her happened to be the building where Loki and Natasha resided.

"Of course not. I set up my illusion, just as you said." Hela loosely tugged at her cloak, now being worn as a scarf.. While walking the city, she transformed her S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform into a more tasteful outfit she saw on display in a shop window. "So this is where he lives?" Hela asked, amazed by the size of the penthouse building.

"This isn't _all_ theirs," Yelena reminded her. "You can transport us both up, right?"

"Of course. Just envision the interior for me."

Yelena grabbed hold of Hela's hand. "Easy enough." Closing her eyes, she could picture their living room- the grey tiled floor, the black leather couches…

"Here we are," Hela announced in a hushed voice.

Yelena stood in the exact spot shed had been shot. Looking off to the hall on the left, she recalled seeing Natasha taking her son in that direction to his room. The first door to line the hallway happened to be cracked open. She peeked inside and the toys lying on the floor were a dead giveaway. At the far end of the room was the boy's bed, where he lay fast asleep. Yelena crept towards the bed and grabbed the child as easily as she had done before. Before the boy could scream, she slapped a hand over his mouth. "Let's go!" she hissed.

Hela grabbed her arm and the three vanished into thin air. The three had soon found themselves back in a darkened alleyway.

Alexei began to put up a struggle. He kicked and attempted to bite his captor's hand.

"Now you're seeming more like mommy," Yelena commented with a smirk. "Look here, _sweetie_," she said icily as she pushed him up against a wall, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Scream, and I'll kill you right now!" she hissed as she saw the child open his mouth.

Alexei choked on a sob as tears streamed his face. He looked between the two women in fear.

"We don't _want_ to hurt you," Yelena began as she lowered him to the ground. "We want to help you."

"I-I want my parents!" he cried.

"Do you think your parents will want you once they know the truth about you?"

"Wh-what?" Alexei asked, his body trembling with fear.

"Well," interrupted Hela, "You mother is the odd one out. You see, Alexei, your father and I are the same, and surely, you are just like us." She conjured up a small, gold-framed mirror and held it up for Alexei to stare at his own reflection.

"Wh-…" Alexei recognised the face as his own, but the blue skin didn't belong. As he stared into his reflection's blood-red eyes, Yelena pressed a hand to his mouth to stifle a scream.

"You have Jotun blood within you, just like your father and I," Hela explained.

"Scream and you _die_," Yelena reminded him as she pulled her hand away.

"Wh-what's that?" Alexei asked as he stared at Hela with teary eyes. "You are a Frost Giant. Your father never spoke of this?"

Alexei sniffed and thought back to some of the books he had read. "I-I think I read something like that."

"But your father never told you? How does that make you feel, Alexei?" Hela prodded.

Alexei bit his lip and stared at his feet.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" said Yelena. "Your own parents are lying to your face."

As much as the child didn't want to believe her, Yelena's words spoke the truth. Why wouldn't his father tell him this? He could recall a story he once read where Frost Giants were referred to as monsters. "Am I a monster?" he asked as he stared up at Hela with empty eyes.

The dark haired woman nodded sadly.

"Tell you what, Alexei." Yelena knelt down to be at eye level with the child. "If you come with me tomorrow, I'll take you somewhere that will fix you."

"What about my dad?" he wondered.

"He's going with me," Hela assured him.

"It'll be alright," Yelena lied. "You'll go to the same place your mommy went when she was a little girl."

"What was wrong with my mom?" he asked suddenly.

"She was _weak_. Don't you want to be strong like her?" the blonde prodded.

Alexei recalled the conversation he had with his father about how he was weak. More than anything, he wanted to be strong, just like his parents. He wanted to be brave and to fight alongside his mom and dad as an Avenger. "What do I have to do?" he asked.


	11. Chapter 11

"Alexei, time to get-…" Natasha poked her head in the bedroom doorway, but couldn't see him within the room. "Alexei?" She went over to the bathroom across the hall, but he wasn't there. This wasn't like her son to go hiding about the house-not at this age, at least. She double checked the bedroom, then went to the room they used for books and some of Alexei's toys. "Loki?" Natasha called out weakly. She felt her heart sink as a sense of panic washed over her.

"Natasha? What's wrong?" The urgency in his wife's voice made him worry.

"Alexei's not with you?" Her question sounded more like a statement as the words passed her lips.

"He's not in the bathroom?" he asked.

"Just checked…" She felt sick. This was just like the time when Alexei was two and thought it would be funny to play hide-and-seek on his own accord by hiding out in a laundry basket. After twenty minutes of hiding, he left his hiding place to cry to his parents about not finding him. Natasha gave him a decent spanking after that incident and Alexei never wanted to play hide and seek with his parents ever again.

"Maybe the kitchen." Loki turned on his heel and dashed over to start searching for his son.

"A-Alexei!" she shouted. She ran over to the kitchen after her husband.

"I didn't hear a door open- he must be here." Loki could tell Natasha was growing frantic.

There was a sudden green mist coming from the living room and Hela materialized, her hand gripping Alexei's. "Lose something?" she giggled.

"Alexei!" Natasha breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why do you have my son?" Loki growled.

"I seemed to have made a friend in my confinement."

"Yelena?" asked Natasha darkly. She turned towards her son. "Alexei, come here!" she begged in a much gentler tone.

"Is that who restored your powers?" Loki demanded.

"We made a deal, her and I," she said.

"Alexei!" Natasha repeated. As she approached her son, Hela forced her to fall back with the wave of her hand.

"Mom!" Alexei shouted. He tried to free himself of Hela's grip, but failed.

"You bitch!" Natasha hissed as she glared at Hela.

"The boy stays with me," she warned Natasha. Her gaze shifted to meet Loki's face. "I will gladly return him if you join me, Loki."

Loki's hands formed fists at his sides. "Let him go, Hela!" he shouted.

"Join me, Loki," she beckoned, outstretching a hand towards him. "Then I let him go back to his mother."

Loki turned to his wife who was on the verge of tears. "Alright. I'll go."

"Loki," Natasha breathed.

Loki went over to her side. "This is the only way, Natasha," he whispered. "I'll come back. I promise."

Hela began to laugh at his promise. "Not until you help my army!" she warned him.

Natasha looked between the two in confusion.

Loki tightly held onto his wife's hand. "I'll come back. Don't worry. I'm doing this for Alexei."

"Please don't," she begged. "This doesn't feel right…"

Without another word, Loki turned away and placed his hand in Hela's. "Go along, Alexei." She freed the child and wrapped her arms around Loki's neck. "There. Wasn't that easy?" she asked Loki before they disappeared.

"Loki!" Natasha yelled out.

"Mommy!" Alexei ran over to her and hugged her middle.

Natasha had to remain strong for her son's sake. "Are you hurt?" she asked as she stroked her son's hair.

"N-no." He shook his head.

"Alexei, how did she take you? You scared me to death," she added.

"I-…" Fresh tears began to fall from his eyes. "I have to go."

"What? Alexei, what's going on?" she demanded, her gaze hardening.

"It's okay, mom." He forced a smile. "I'm going to get fixed so I'm not a monster. Dad, too."

Natasha shook her head. "Alexei, sweetie, what's going on?" she pleaded as she placed a hand against his cheek.

"You should really listen to yourself!" Yelena laughed as she and Hela materialized from out of nowhere. "You sound so pathetic!" she scoffed.

"Yelena!" Natasha snarled.

"C'mon, kid." Yelena motioned for Alexei.

The boy turned to face the women, but Natasha forced him to look at her. "I have to go, mom."

"No! You stay right here!" Natasha warned him.

"We had a deal," Hela informed her.

"Where's Loki?" Natasha asked as her left hand gripped her son's hand.

"He's fulfilling the deal we made," Hela assured her. "Safe and sound in my realm. Now come here, Alexei."

Alexei struggled to pull away from his mother. "Mom, let go!"

"Alexei, what is wrong with you?" she demanded.

"I'm gonna be normal again!"

"Alexei, what?" She knelt down to look him in the eyes.

"They told me, mom," Alexei began. "I'm like dad, right?"

Natasha's body tensed up. "I…I don't know."

"You don't know, or you don't want _him_ to know?" Yelena taunted.

Natasha shook her head as she looked into Alexei's tear-filled eyes. "I really don't know."

"I'm a monster, right?" he asked.

Natasha recalled the first time she had ever seen Loki's true form. She didn't think he was a monster… He was her husband and she loved him no matter what. "You're perfect." Those were the exact words she had said to Loki.

"Then why did you lie?" the boy asked.

"We…We didn't know when to tell you," she hesitated. "Your father will need to talk to you…Can we discuss this later?"

"That's right," Yelena drawled, "keep putting it off."

Alexei turned to Yelena and inched towards her, only to have his mother hold him back.

"No-Alexei!" she begged. "Let your dad talk to you about this when he comes back. He'll explain everything."

"I have to go with them! Let me go!" he stomped his foot in defiance.

"No! You stay here with me!" Natasha snapped.

"I wanna be normal! I don't wanna be a monster!" he bawled as he kicked Natasha in the shin.

"You're not a monster, Alexei!" Natasha shouted. "You're my son! You're perfect to me, do you understand that?"

"Let go of me! Let go!" he howled.

"Alexei Lokison!" she shouted. As much as she wanted to smack some sense into the child, she couldn't bring herself to do it in fear of pushing him away even further.

"Let me go or I'll hate you!" he yelled at her as tears streamed down his face.

Natasha bit her lip, trying to fight back the tears caused by her son's harsh words. "Please, Alexei," she pleaded. "Don't leave me."

"We need to go, Alexei," Yelena interjected.

"Let go of me!" Alexei cried.

"Don't do this, Alexei…"

"Hurry up, kid, or it'll be too late," Yelena warned him.

"Shut up!" Natasha yelled at Yelena.

"She's going to help me since you won't!" spat the child. "You just lied to me! You _and_ dad! I _hate_ you!" A blue hue coloured the child's skin. "Now. Let. Me. Go!" His blood-red eyes glared into Natasha's own and her eyes grew wide.

Natasha's left hand pulled away as Alexei's touch began to turn the skin to ice. "Alexei," she gasped.

Alexei stared at his mother's hand, now blue and iced over. He had done this to her. He hurt his mother… Alexei looked into her fearful eyes before running off to Yelena and Hela.

"A-Alexei!" Natasha cried. She lunged for him, but they vanished before she could reach him. Hot tears fell from her eyes as she fell to the floor, grasping her injured hand. "A-Alexei…"


	12. Chapter 12

"This is where we go our separate ways," Hela announced once the three were outside.

"Thanks for the help," smiled Yelena. "Let's go on a little trip now, kid," she smiled.

…

Natasha stared down at her left hand. Shortly after Alexei had left, her hand thawed out and the blue began to fade. Loki had warned her that a Frost Giant's touch was dangerous. She figured that Alexei hadn't done much damage since he was new to the Jotun form. Her son's scarlet eyes left her haunted. Loki had spoken to her about the possibility of their son being a Frost Giant, but he was unsure. He wanted to wait until Alexei was just a little bit older to have that talk. Look where waiting had gotten them now… Natasha's hand formed a fist. This was all Yelena's fault. She may not have been able to find Loki now, but she knew where Yelena was going…

….

"It's just you and I now, Loki." Hela wickedly grinned as she approached the god. He was just where he last left her. The two were inside her palace in the distant realm, Hel. "Tonight proved that your son is just like us."

He tensed up at her words. "A Jotun?"

"Yes." Hela led him over to her dimly lit bedroom.

"You said he would stay with Natasha!" he angrily reminded her.

"We all lie, Loki. You, especially. Your poor, poor boy was so upset."

"Shut up!" he hissed. "What happened?!" he demanded as he grabbed her arm.

"Oh," Hela smiled, "save the anger for the bed, darling."

"Hela!" he growled through clenched teeth. "Tell me!" he ordered. "Tell me what happened!"

Hela slapped his hand away and went to sprawl across her canopy bed. "He grew angry at your wife and suddenly transformed."

"Is Natasha alright?" he wondered, knowing how dangerous a Jotun's touch could be.

The woman rolled her eyes as she lay on her side. "More heartbroken than anything."

"Where is Alexei?"

"Off with Yelena. She's off to some other foreign land." A smile played upon her lips. "Your boy is foolish, Loki-must be from his mother," she added, "the poor thing thinks going with Yelena will make him 'normal.'"

His brows furrowed in confusion. "Where did she take him?"

"I'm unsure…"

"Hela…" Loki approached the bed and made a grab for her arm, only to have Hela pull him in by the lapels of his Asgardian attire.

"She mentioned some place your wife went to," she continued, her lips dangerously close to Loki's.

His eyes widened as he realized what she meant. The Red Room. "No," he breathed.

"Are you scared, darling?" Hela wondered. "Allow me to make you feel better." She pressed her lips against his.

Loki grabbed the woman by the shoulders and pushed her mouth away from his.

"Don't be that way," she crooned. "You used to like this…" The Midgardian clothing she had been previously wearing vanished, except for her cloak which hung over her shoulders and loosely twisted around her arms. She locked her ankles together behind Loki's back. "Make love to me like you used to," she said playfully.

"Hela-…"

"Don't you want to see your wife again?" she whispered into his ear. "Think of how lost she is without her husband and son. Whatever will she do?"

Loki was certain that Natasha was going to run off to find Alexei. He grew fearful as he wondered what would happen to her if she ventured off to the Red Room alone. She couldn't even _think _about the place without getting sick… "You have to promise…"

"All I'm asking from you, Loki, is for your love, and to help me conquer all the realms," she said simply enough.

"Isn't that too much?" he asked.

"I'll do whatever it takes to bring your old self back, Loki," she said as she pulled at the belts across his middle.

"How will you know when you've accomplished that?" he asked in a lifeless tone.

She grabbed his hair, drawing his face closer to hers. "When you've killed everyone you loved."

He stared down at her with empty eyes.

"Let me prove to you that you don't need that woman in your life, Loki. I'll make you remember that it's _me _you need." She pressed her full lips against his as a hand snaked its way down his pants. "Give in, Loki," she breathed as she gave his cock a gentle squeeze.

He clenched his jaw to stifle a grunt.

"Remove everything, Loki," she droned. "Let me make you remember me…"

Loki grabbed the woman's neck, choking her. "I don't love you, wench!" he hissed.

"Then shall _I _be the one to kill Natasha? I can go back there right now…" She was pleased with the hurt look in her partner's eyes. "She's probably desperate right now. Surely, she'd welcome death."

Loki grasped her windpipe tightly as he made his clothes vanish. "Do not speak of Natasha in that way!" he warned her.

Hela gave him a look of satisfaction. "Take that anger and frustration out on me, Loki. You know you want to…"

His hand moved from her neck down to her hips. Without any warning, he thrust himself inside of her, making her cry out in a pleasured scream.

With every violent thrust, she dug her sharp nails into his back and chanted his name in a plea for more.

Shame coursed through Loki's veins. All he could think about was Natasha and how he was hurting her by subjecting himself to Hela's whims. Every time he heard Hela moan his name, his anger heightened and he grew more violent, as if trying to tear the woman apart from the inside out.

"S-So rough, Loki," she gasped.

He had to clench his teeth to stifle a moan as he felt himself about to cum.

The goddess reached up to touch his face. She pulled on his hair until his lips pressed to hers.

"Hela," he grunted as their mouths parted.

"My Loki." She stared into his eyes, her breathing labored.

Loki's gaze softened as he focused on her face. With a final thrust, he spilled inside of her and collapsed onto the bed beside her, panting.

"Wasn't that fun, darling?" she asked once her breathing evened out.

His gaze shifted to the ring on his finger.

"I'll take your silence as a yes," she said, kissing his cheek. "Now rest, Loki. Tomorrow, we prepare for war."

He leaned in to rest his head on Hela's pillow. His breath cool against her bare skin as he spoke. "I want our army's first stop to be Russia."

Hela's smile widened. "So you agree to help me?"

"Only on that one condition," he corrected her.

"And why is that, exactly?" she wondered.

"Because..." A look of determination filled Loki's eyes. "That's where they're headed- Alexei and Natasha. I want to kill them myself."

"Oh?" she asked in surprise.

"I've missed you, Hela. Being with you again made me realize that…" He ran his fingers through her long black hair.

"I'm going to need more proof, Loki."

He pulled the ring off of his finger and made it disappear. "Is that enough for you?" He wrapped his arms around her.

"Yes," she giddily replied.

…

Natasha pulled her phone from her pocket. "Nick?" she asked into the phone. Her voice was shaking slightly as she spoke. "I need a jet ready. Now."

"What's happened, Agent? We're on red alert here…"

"Yelena took Alexei."

The Director was silent for a moment. "Where's Loki?"

She squeezed her eyes shut to hold back the tears. "With Hela."

"That explains her location..." There was a silence. "She's been missing from her cell as of a few hours ago. Where are they?"

"Nowhere we can get to, Sir," she answered. "She's helping Yelena, though. Right now, I need a jet ready."

"Where are you going?"

"The Red Room," she answered. "Yelena's taking Alexei there now… They might even be there if Hela's helping." She cringed at the thought.

"I'll get a jet ready and have Agent Barton ready."

"No!" she warned him. "I'm going alone."

"You know I can't let you do that, you-…"

"I need to do this alone, _Sir_," she icily warned him. "This is my son! It's Yelena! We've fought before…"

Fury remained silent for a moment. He was more concerned with sending her alone to the place that left her traumatized. "Alright," he agreed.

Natasha ended the call and hung her head. She never thought she would have to return to _that _place ever again… But she had to do this for her son's sake. She wouldn't allow for him to be scarred just as she had been… There was a subtle cling as something fell against the tile. She looked up to find a gold ring lying on the floor before her. Natasha didn't need to pick it up to know whose it was. She grabbed it and held it in her hand as she hurried to get a bag ready for her mission.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: The story's getting into some darker themes for now, so I'm sorry about that lol**

After almost an hour of piloting one of S.H.I.E.L.D.S.' jets at its top speed, she had finally reached her destination. She landed over a snow-covered plain and looked out at the barren scenery around her. It was dark, despite it being into the early hours of the morning. She shut off the GPS that Fury had programmed her location into. Everything seemed familiar, yet this part of Russia felt hazy within her memory. Before she ventured out, she grabbed her guns from a bag and stuck them into their holsters. She reached down her suit to pull at a gold chain around her neck in which she fastened Loki's wedding band to. She wasn't sure why his ring had been left behind. All she could do was hope that he was okay… She tucked the chain back into her suit before zipping her uniform up all the way. Once she was out of the jet, she sprinted as fast as she could towards an abandoned hospital. The memory of the deserted building was beginning to bring back memories. She danced there. No-she learned to _fight_ there. Her head began to pound as she ran. She could picture the silhouette of a man coming towards her with a syringe. 'Natalia,' he said. He crept closer, closer… The blurred face of the man would smile as he brought the needle close to her face. Natasha tripped over her own feet as she ran and fell forward into the snow. Her trembling gloved hands grabbed fistfuls of snow as she felt the bile rise up her throat. She hunched over and wretched until her sides hurt. With her head still pounding, she staggered up, grabbing a tree for assistance. In the back of her mind, she could still see the doctor's face in a haze. No, the man wasn't a doctor-he was her dancing instructor. 'Good girl, Natalia,' his voice said before her world went black.

….

Loki was seated on Hela's throne as she sat in his lap with her arms around his neck.

"What do you think?" she asked.

Loki stared out at the faces of the damned as they all stood in rows throughout the ornate throne room. "A suitable army, however, I'd suggest scattering them. Don't forget that the Avengers will be called in to defeat them," he warned her. "It would be to our advantage to have the team scattered."

"The same Avengers who took you down?" she asked.

"I could have won," he added in a monotone. "The portal closed, however, and the Chitauri army fell…"

"Now you get a chance at redemption," Hela reminded him as she touched his cheek.

"Might I also add that killing Thor would make this battle easier? He is the only one with a chance against us."

"But first," Hela continued, "I must fulfill our promise. Also think of this as a final test of your loyalties to me…"

His gaze met with hers as he awaited her orders.

"Kill the Natasha woman."

Loki gritted his teeth.

"You said you would kill her yourself, my love," she reminded him. "The boy, I will agree to spare." He lowered his eyes but Hela forced him to look at her. "Do we have a deal?"

"Yes," he said with empty eyes.

…..

Natasha slowly began to open her eyes. Everything around her seemed to blur together and she couldn't recall anything after she fell sick. With half-open eyes, she attempted to move an arm, only to find herself incapable of doing so. Her eyes fluttered open, only to see that her wrists and ankles had been bound with leather straps to an old medical chair.

"For someone that's lived in Russia for so long, you should know better than to fall asleep in the snow, Tasha." Yelena stepped out into the dimly-lit doctor's office.

"Where's Alexei?" she shouted. Right now, she could care less about her own well-being.

"Oh, don't worry." Yelena flipped a switch and the fluorescent lights flickered on. "He was being too loud, so I had to tape his mouth shut."

Natasha blinked several times before her eyes adjusted to the light. She looked ahead to find her son bound to a chair with duct tape across his mouth. "Alexei," she breathed.

The child fought against the restraints as tears fell from his red and puffy eyes.

"I knew you'd come, so I decided to save the fun until you got here," Yelena continued as she approached Alexei. "Lucky me to find you passed out-made things easier on my part!"

"Don't touch him!" Natasha yelled as she fought against the restraints.

Yelena's smile only widened. "After all these years, you finally have a weak spot." She grabbed a syringe off of a table of medical supplies. "I'm not letting this pass me by."

"I'll kill you!" she threatened.

"All talk, sweetie," she reminded Natasha. "Want to see what the bad men did to your mommy and I when we were your age, Alex?" She held up the syringe and the boy's eyes widened in fear. "A dose of this should fuck up your memory nicely."

"Yelena!" Natasha's shouts were on the verge of begging.

The blonde cruelly smirked before injecting the needle into the child's neck.

"**No**!" Natasha cried as she watched her son's body begin to convulse.

"You think this is how it started with us, Tasha?" Yelena wondered.

The boy's head fell and his body grew limp.

"**Alexei!**" Natasha screamed out her son's name until her voice became hoarse. "N-No!" She pulled at the restraints with more force.

Yelena grabbed Alexei's hair and forced his head back. "What to do next, I wonder?" She reached over to her tray of supplies and held up an ice pick and hammer. "Watch closely, Tasha. I think he's still alive."


	14. Chapter 14

"This gives me an excuse to see Yelena again," Hela continued as she stepped down from her throne, her arm linked with Loki's.

Two corpses followed behind them, each holding a corner of Hela's robe.

"Hela." Loki kept his gaze forward as they walked. "What becomes of us once this is over?"

"Where did you think it was going?" she playfully asked.

Without a moment to think, he replied. "Marriage."

"Oh!" she gasped. "Well, Loki, I look forward to your proposal."

He stopped in his tracks to cup her face between his hands and kiss her. "Now then." His green eyes met with her ruby orbs. "To finish what I started with the other woman."

"How _cold _of you, Loki!" she beamed.

….

Yelena held open Alexei's eye with one hand, while the other held the ice pick. "Looks like I'll just have to shove this in and see what happens."

"I thought you wanted to make him into what we became-not _kill_ him!" Natasha was failing at holding back her tears.

"But look at you." She pointed the pick in Natasha's direction. "You're _begging _me to stop!" she laughed wickedly. "This is the best way to torture you-to finally _break _you!"

Natasha fought harder against her restraints. After so much tugging, she was starting to lose feeling in her wrists and ankles. She desperately continued to fidget as she tried to slide her right hand through the strap. If she could free one hand, she could undo the other straps.

"Not sure if this is gonna hurt, kid," Yelena warned Alexei's unconscious form. "Not that I'm sorry."

Natasha bit down on her lower lip as she pulled her arm back as hard as she could. Her right hand was almost freed when she heard a grisly pop. Clenching her teeth to fight back a scream, she pulled her hand out from the strap.

Yelena heard the sound and turned towards the red-head.

"Fuck!" she hissed. She moved her right arm and her limp hand fell forward, giving her all the more reason to swear.

"Not your brightest idea," Yelena mocked. "What are you gonna do, break every bone in your body for this kid? I don't see the appeal…"

Natasha pressed her arm to her thigh, trying to set her wrist back into place. There was a pop and she moved her arm to undo the strap around her left hand. She fought through the pain as she attempted to quickly remove the strap.

"No you don't!" Yelena threw the ice pick directly into the back of Natasha's injured hand.

"You think I can feel anything, you bitch?" She successfully freed her hand and removed the pick from her injured hand. Blood began to dribble out of the wound, but Natasha paid no attention to her injury. As Yelena reached for a surgical knife to throw, Natasha found an opening and threw the pick towards Yelena's windpipe.

The blonde caught her balance before she fell. "Cunt!" she hissed as she removed the weapon. The pick fell to the floor as Yelena began to cough up blood.

Natasha freed the restraints at her feet and charged towards Belova.

Like Natasha, Yelena had been trained as a Black Widow and wouldn't go down so easily. She threw a punch at her opponents left shoulder, but Natasha dodged the attack by grabbing Yelena's hand in her own and head butting her square in the face.

With Yelena down, Natasha hurried over to her son and undid his restraints. She hesitated for a moment as she wondered what to do about the tape over his mouth. "Sorry, Alexei," she whispered before ripping the tape away in a swift moment. "Alexei?" She expected him to wake up, but his body remained still. "Sweetie?"

"No time for being 'mommy' right now!" Yelena warned her as she pinched the bridge of her nose to stop the bleeding.

"Give up, Yelena!" Natasha growled as she grabbed the ice pick from off the ground with her good hand.

"Not till you're dead!" she spat back. Yelena ran towards Natasha and shoved her against the linoleum floor. She snatched the pick away and held it up to Natasha's throat as she hovered over her body.

Natasha kneed her in the gut, sending the blonde backwards. She flipped herself up and onto her feet as she scanned the room for something to use as a weapon. Surely, Yelena had her guns and stingers stashed somewhere nearby. Right now, Yelena was the only one with access to a gun. She grabbed a scalpel from off the medical tray and stashed it into her side pouch.

"I think I'll end this right here." Yelena reached into her holster to pull out her gun. "This game is losing its fun." The gun pointed towards Alexei's unmoving body.

"Just kill me first," Natasha warned her.

"Why?" Yelena prodded. "That takes the fun away."

"Kill him and I swear, I'll rip you to pieces myself!" she threatened.

"That's awfully high and mighty of you," Yelena commented as she pulled the trigger.


	15. Chapter 15

The bullet froze in midair as a barrier appeared from out of nowhere, followed by a green mist.

"Loki?" Natasha gasped.

Loki and Hela appeared side by side in the middle of the medical room. Loki stared in Natasha's direction with an unreadable expression.

"I'm glad I could find you," Hela smiled at Yelena.

"We were in the middle of some fun," Yelena informed her. "You kinda ruined it, though." She stared in Alexei's direction.

Loki glanced behind him and failed to hide his horror at the sight of his son's still body. "Alexei?" he whispered.

Hela, too, turned around and gasped in surprise. "How unfortunate. Perhaps his soul can join our army."

"I think he's still alive," Yelena shrugged.

Loki reached out to the boy, only to have Hela grab his shoulder. "We made a deal, Loki. The boy can wait," she reminded him.

"Of course…" Loki turned to Natasha. He noticed the blood covering her swollen and bruised hand and felt himself cringe.

"What's the deal, Hela?" Yelena whined. "I was just getting ready to finish things off here!"

"Leave that to Loki!" the goddess smiled.

"Hey, we had a deal, lady!" She placed her hands on her hips. "You get your man, I get the mom and kid!"

"Perhaps the two of you best sort this out," interrupted Loki.

"It will be my pleasure!" Hela's heels clacked against the floor as she walked towards Yelena.

"What the hell, bitch?!" Yelena fired at Hela, only to have her bullets deflected.

"And with a touch," she sneered, "you die!" Her hand reached out to grab Yelena, only to have a scalpel slice her wrist.

"If anyone kills her, it's me!" Natasha warned her.

"My, my! What a twist this is!" Hela stepped away and motioned for Natasha to continue. "Go and fight, then," she said as she pulled Loki off to the side with her.

Natasha glared at Hela before turning to Yelena.

"Looks like no one gets out alive!" Yelena taunted.

"Unless you're clever enough…" Natasha glared at her husband in her peripheral vision. She charged at the blonde and threw a punch towards her shoulder.

Yelena responded by grabbing her right wrist and twisting it, making Natasha clench her jaw to stifle a scream and Loki wince.

"M-mom?" Alexei slowly came to and opened his eyes.

Natasha felt a sudden wave of relief wash over her as she saw Alexei awaken.

"Mommy!" he screamed as Yelena threw a fist towards her face.

Natasha dodged her opponents attack with ease.

"Alexei, shut your eyes!" Loki warned him.

"What's happening, dad?"

"Just listen to me, Alexei!" he hissed.

Scared, the child pulled his knees up to his chest and tucked his face between them as he covered his ears.

Yelena ran towards Natasha and kicked her in the side.

Natasha whirled around and elbowed Yelena in the back, sending her to the floor. She grabbed a fistful of the woman's short blonde hair and bashed her face against the tile. "And this is for hurting my son!" she growled through clenched teeth as she grabbed Yelena's jaw and the back of her head. With a single twist, there were sickening cracks as Natasha broke her enemy's neck. A pool of blood began to form around the woman's head. Natasha grabbed Yelena's gun and fired two shots into the skull for safe measure.

"Ooooh!" Hela gushed in amusement. "She's quite the fighter, Loki. I trust you will kill her quickly?"

"Loki?" Natasha glared in his direction. "What's going on?"

"Alexei!" Loki said his son's name quietly, yet the boy still glanced up. "Run."

"Wha-?" Alexei looked from his father to his mother in confusion.

"Go outside!" Loki warned him.

Natasha wasn't sure what was happening, but the urgency in her husband's voice made her play along. "We'll be out soon, Alexei. Just go!"

"No, he should stay." Hela lifted the boy up into her arms. "He's my son now, after all."

"Excuse me!?" Natasha demanded.

"Hela!" Loki whispered.

"Oh, and by the way, Loki," Hela smirked, "if you were lying to me before, I'll kill the wench myself," she warned him. "I'd also like to add that if you think you can use the Infinity Gauntlet to bring her back, I'll make sure her soul stays with me in Hel."

Loki felt his body tense up.

"Was that part of your scheme, Loki?" she wondered with a cunning smile. "I know you and that silver tongue of yours all too well."


	16. Chapter 16

"You planned to _kill_ me?!" Natasha harshly whispered as Loki approached her.

His fingers brushed against her cheek. "I thought Alexei would be saved."

"I told you something wasn't right!"

"For that, I am forever indebted to you," he reminded her.

"Time is ticking, Loki," Hela warned him. "Or should I punish you both by killing the boy first?" She held up her left hand and it slowly began to decay. Her hand slowly inched towards Alexei who was squirming to break free of her hold.

"No!" Loki shouted as he whirled around. "Put him down, Hela!" He knew that just with a touch, she could kill the child in an instant.

Alexei began to cry and scream as he avoided Hela's rotted left hand.

Loki brought a hand to Natasha's neck and stared into her determined eyes.

She grabbed his wrist, only to let go as she noticed Hela shaking her head. "No plan?" she whispered to her husband. His head lowered and she took that as a no. "Here." A hand reached into her uniform and pulled out the ring she had been keeping around her neck. She tugged on the chain, only to have Loki grab her windpipe and throw her into the ground.

"Keep it," he growled.

Hela set Alexei down but held his hand so he couldn't run away.

"Dad, stop it!" he cried. "D-Don't hurt mom!"

"I'm fine, Alexei! Your dad's just gone crazy!" Natasha glared up at her husband. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Hela is to be my wife, Natasha," he whispered as he hovered over her as he pinned her down by the wrists.

Natasha bit her lip as he applied pressure against her injured arm. "What's she doing to you, Loki?"

"Nothing," he replied. "I just…" He briefly glanced in Hela's direction. "I don't feel the way I once did about you, Natasha."

Natasha's brows furrowed in confusion. "What the hell does that mean, Loki!?" she yelled in his face. "You expect me to believe that your feelings just changed over night?"

"I told you before, Natasha, Hela and I were together years ago…"

"It's amazing how much one night in bed rekindled our love," Hela chided.

Natasha kneed Loki in the gut. Hard. "You _slept _with her?"

Loki grunted and tightened his grip.

"Why?!"

"I love her," he breathed. His eyes focused on the ring around her neck.

"Then kill me," Natasha snarled.

He grabbed her by the neck and lifted her onto her feet. "I'm only doing this for Alexei," he said as he faced Hela and his son. "Remember that." His fingers wrapped around the ring and chain which he tucked into her uniform against her heart. He zipped up her suit and pulled Natasha against his chest. In his hand, he held a scalpel that pointed towards his wife's back.

"Da-!" Alexei was cut off by Loki shaking his head.

Natasha knew that Loki's betrayal was going to hurt her more than the blade he held in his hand. "I'm not stupid, Loki," she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I know what's in your hand."

"Always three steps ahead of me," he softly chuckled.

She raised a brow. "After nine years together, it's like you can read my mind."

He brought the scalpel in between them his eyes met with hers.

His lips began to move and Natasha swore that he was mouthing 'I love you.' Maybe he was just apologizing-she couldn't think straight once the blade met her chest. She watched as Loki simply stood in place, his gaze elsewhere, as she fell back.

"Mom!" Alexei cried. "L-Let me go!" he screamed as he kicked at Hela's legs.

"Stop that, Alexei!" Loki bitterly snapped.

"NO!" he screamed. "I **hate** you, dad! I **hate **you!"

Loki grabbed the child away from Hela.

"Let me go! Put me down!" he bawled. "I-I h-hate you!"

As much as Alexei fought against him, Loki refused to let the child go. "Now then, Hela… Shall we leave?"

"Yes." She slipped her hand in between his.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's reviewed/faved/followed! Also, thanks to everyone who has been reading. I hope you enjoy!**

"I-I don't wanna go! No!" cried Alexei.

"Alexei, be quiet!" Loki set the child down for a moment and brought his lips to meet the goddess'.

She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck. In her peripheral vision, she happened to notice a certain red head trying to sneak up behind her. "You _lied _to me, Loki!" she snarled.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked.

"For this, Loki Laufeyson, you _will _be punished!" she threatened before vanishing into thin air.

"Shit," Natasha breathed. She was only a few feet from where Hela once stood.

"M-Mommy!" Alexei ran to her, sobbing as he threw his arms around her waist. "I-I thought Dad killed you!" he bawled.

"Come on, Alexei, you know your dad and I love each other," she smiled as she stroked his hair. "His aim's losing it, though," she commented as her eyes met with Loki's. "You did manage to heal me, so thank you for that," she said as she flexed her right hand.

Loki raised a brow. "Is it? I was being as careful as I could, darling."

She unzipped her uniform past a tear in the fabric. Between her breasts, there was a slight scratch amid where Loki's ring hung. "I don't think you did any damage to this." She yanked the chain off of her neck and held it out for Loki. "You're lucky the blade fit between this."

He accepted his wedding band from her and slipped it on the proper finger. "I always have a plan," he winked. "Tell me," he prodded, "how did you figure it out?"

"Because you would never kill me," she began. "I've spent _years _doing things like this. Besides…" She flashed him a knowing grin, "it's like I can read your mind sometimes."

"I'm glad," he smiled before kissing her hair.

"So you don't hate each other?" Alexei asked worriedly.

"Alexei, your mother means everything to me. The both of you do."

Natasha glanced away as she felt her face grow hot.

"Was this all my fault?" Alexei quietly asked. "All the bad stuff…"

"Alexei…" Natasha looked him in the eyes as she grasped his shoulders. "Don't say that," she warned her son. "Bad things happen-it's never any one person's fault." Alexei's eyes fell. "But whatever happens, we'll protect you no matter what," she promised. "We love you, Alexei."

"Perhaps we should go home," suggested Loki. "It's been a long day…"

The three set out towards the S.H.I.E.L.D. jet and Loki sat in the back with Alexei while Natasha flew.

Alexei turned to his father with a somber expression. "Will you tell me what I am now, dad?"

Loki briefly glanced at Natasha before returning his attention to Alexei. He would have preferred waiting a few more years, but he wasn't going to deny telling Alexei who he really was. "Of course."

The child managed a smile.

"You are a Jotun, like myself," he began. "A Frost Giant."

"Don't listen to the stories you might read, Alexei," Natasha interrupted. "You're not a monster. Neither of you are."

Loki smiled as he closed his eyes to concentrate. When he opened them, his green eyes had become a deep red and his pale skin was coloured blue. "Promise me you won't ever be ashamed of who you are, Alexei," he said as he held his son's hand in his own.

Alexei stared into his father's eyes for the longest time. The red eyes, the blue, patterned skin-it was just like Alexei had seen within Hela's mirror. "How do I do it?" he wondered.

"Concentrate." Loki sat Alexei onto his lap. "Close your eyes and clear your mind," he softly continued. "Can you feel a chill within you?"

Alexei shifted uncomfortably. "No." He cracked an eye open.

"Perhaps another time," Loki chuckled.

"Okay," he sighed. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep, curled up against his father's side.

Natasha set the jet to auto pilot and moved to the back to accompany Loki. "Tell me about how you slept with Hela." Her smile fell in an instant.

"All part of my plan," he cunningly smirked.

She folded her arms across her chest. "I bet you enjoyed it-didn't you?" she sourly asked.

He brought a hand to her face. "Not at all, Natasha." He leaned in to kiss her. "Lying to you back there was one of the hardest and most painful things I've ever had to endure."

"I thought I really lost you," she added sadly. "I thought everything was just falling apart…"

He gently grabbed her chin. "Whether you like it or not, Natasha, you're stuck with me," he reminded her with a charming grin.

"That's good to know." She crawled onto his lap and wrapped her arms around him. "So what now?" she asked. "Hela disappeared…"

"To Hel, I assume," Loki replied. "She'll be back, I'm sure."

"And you're not worried?"

"Of course I am." He pulled his wife against him. "For now, let's take things slow. We can deal with her when the time comes…"

…..

When Alexei awoke, he was back in his own bed again. Unable to sleep, he took a deep breath as he shut his eyes. As he tried to empty his mind, the spot on his neck where Yelena injected him began to sting. He scratched his neck and went back to concentrating.

"_Channel your hate,"_ a female's voice whispered.

Alexei immediately recognised it as Hela's.

_"Just try it," _her voice continued with a giggle. _"It worked for you before… Not to mention your father."_

"Dad did it by clearing his mind," he said aloud.

_"Are you sure?" _she prodded. _"Give it a try. Think of something you hate, Alexei…"_

He shut his eyes and his hands balled up into fists as he rekindled his anger. When he opened his eyes, his skin had turned to that familiar shade of blue. His eyes grew wide in amazement. "It worked…"

_"What did you think of?" _

His eyes narrowed. "You."

_"I can't be the only one you hate, Alexei."_

"You are. You and the dead lady," he growled, clenching his tiny fists.

_"You said you hated your mother before. Your father, too," _she reminded him.

There was a brief silence as Alexei recalled his anger towards his parents. "That was different."

"_Hatred is hatred."_

Alexei pressed his hands to his ears. "Go away! I'm not listening to you!" he shouted to the voice within his head.

Hela's laugh echoed in his mind. _"I won't go away so easily…"_

_"_I'm not listening!" he hopped into bed and pulled the covers over his head.

_"How cowardly of you."_

Alexei stuck his lip out as he sulked. She disappeared-he saw her vanish. So why did it feel like she was right there with him?

_"Your father was a coward, too," _the woman continued.

Alexei tore the covers away. "Shut up!" he yelled to his empty bedroom.

_"He tried to kill himself."_

The child's small mind couldn't quite grasp the concept of his father's attempt at suicide, but it made him cry, regardless. "N-No he didn't…" He squeezed his eyes shut as he buried himself under his blankets. In the darkness, all he could see was his father's desperate face as he held onto a staff, keeping him safe from the abyss below. His grandfather and Uncle Thor cried out to him, but Loki chose to let go, falling into the blackness… Alexei opened his eyes and began to scream. "M-Make it stop!" he cried.

"Alexei?!" Loki came running into the room, followed by Natasha.

"What's wrong?" asked his mother.

"M-Make it stop!" he cried as he grabbed onto his mother's jacket.

Natasha turned to Loki worriedly. "Did you have a nightmare?" she asked her son.

Breathing heavily, Alexei wondered if it really _was _just a nightmare. Yet it all seemed so real… "I…Yeah," he managed.

"Do you want to sleep in our bed?" Loki offered.

He wanted to say yes, but the distant echo of 'coward' began to ring in his ears. "No."

"You sure?" Natasha asked as she touched his cheek.

"I'm not a baby!" he snapped at her.

Natasha pulled away, feeling slightly hurt. "Okay…"

Alexei glared at them as they left and closed the door.

_"Why the anger, Alexei?"_

Alexei shut his eyes, praying that it was all a dream. "G-Go away. _Please," _he added in a whisper.

_"I'm afraid I can't do that, Alexei," _said Hela's voice.

He was ready to scream. As his mouth opened, the voice continued.

_"Hold your breath," _she ordered.

His brows furrowed in confusion. "I need to breathe, though…"

_"Exactly," _said the voice inside his head. _"If you stop, it will all go away, Alexei…"_

Growing desperate, the boy did as he was told.


	18. Chapter 18

"Natasha?" Loki could tell by the distant look in her eyes that something was amiss. She made her way to the bed and rested on her side, her back facing him. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Love?" he whispered into her ear as he hugged her to his chest.

She began to laugh under her breath. "He's growing up. It can't be helped, right?"

"Is that what's bothering you?"

She rolled over to face her husband. "He's eight-I don't know," she shrugged. "He's never really complained about us babying him before."

"He's had a long day," Loki reminded her. "A far too painful day for a child…" He lowered his eyes.

"So it's okay that we're worried…" She eyed him nervously.

"Yes," he simply replied.

"I'm gonna go check on him." She pulled away from his embrace to leave the room. The thing that hurt the most was knowing that such a small child-so innocent and carefree-had to experience something so horrific. She tried protecting him, but she failed him. "Alexei?" she asked softly as she opened the door. There was no answer-he was simply lying on his stomach with his face buried into his pillow. The first thing to come to her mind was that he was crying. Only she couldn't hear the sounds of his sobs, nor see his body heaving. "Alexei?" His body remained still and she felt herself panic as she ran to his side. "Ale-…" Her voice faltered as she turned his body over. Blood trickled from his nose, as well as at the corners of his lips. "A-!" A scream escaped her throat as she grasped her son's shoulders. "L-Loki!" she cried.

Loki came running the second he heard her scream. "What's wrong?" he asked urgently.

"Call 911! I-I…" She stared down at Alexei's unmoving body and felt sick.

"Alexei?" Loki gasped. He pressed a hand to the boy's ghostly white face. He lifted his son up from the bed and grabbed Natasha's hand. In a flash, he had transported them to the city's ER. Loki rushed over to the receptionist in a panic. "My son isn't breathing!"

The receptionist took one glance at Alexei and called for a doctor. A nurse came by to take the child from his father's arms. Natasha reached out for Alexei's hand, but the nurse had hurried off.

"Can you tell me what happened?" another nurse asked Loki.

"He…" It pained Loki to say it. "We found him trying to smother himself…" He held Natasha's hand as she cringed.

"Has your son displayed any suicidal tendencies before?"

"_'Suicidal tendencies!?'_" Natasha exclaimed. "He's eight years old!" she shouted at the woman.

"Natasha," Loki whispered as he grabbed her shoulder. "Can we please just fill out the paperwork?" Loki asked the nurse. She nodded and handed him some forms to fill out. Loki led his wife to a corner in the waiting room, away from the other people.

"Suicidal?" she breathed as she sat down in a chair beside Loki. More than anything, she was in shock by the assumption. Was it her fault? The last thing her son had said to her was about him not being a baby-was he trying to prove a point?

Loki set the clipboard of papers aside and wrapped his arms around Natasha, resting his chin against her hair. "He'll be alright, Natasha. He's strong."

"That's not what I'm worried about," she said in a distant voice. "He tried to _kill_himself. What do you think Alexei meant earlier when he was saying about making it go away? What if he really wanted to die?"

"Natasha!" He gruffly cut her off before she could finish. "Don't talk that way," he warned her.

It was getting harder for her to breathe as the tears clouded her eyes and her throat constricted. "He's happy, right?"

Loki squeezed her tightly as he fought back his own tears. "An accident," he managed to say. "Just an accident. Don't say anymore, Natasha," he added quickly.

An accident? Alexei could be dead because of an _accident?_ An accident that could have been her fault? She choked back a sob.

He felt her body tense up beneath his fingers. "Let it out, Natasha. It's alright." He rubbed her back in a soothing manner.

Natasha tried to picture her son's smiling face. Instead, all she could imagine was his pale face and eerily still body. Her fingers dug against Loki's shirt. She buried her face against his chest and let the all of pent-up tears fall.


	19. Chapter 19

A doctor made his way over to Loki and Natasha. "Odinson?"

"Yes, sir?" Loki asked. "Is our son alright?"

Natasha buried her face in her hands so the doctor wouldn't see her crying.

"His breathing has stabilized. We're doing an MRI right now," he continued. "He's displaying some signs of drugs in his system. His blood pressure's high-the lack of oxygen may lead into some brain malfunctions."

Natasha stopped paying attention after the mention of drugs. She recalled seeing Yelena inject him with something… "Hallucinogens," she said quietly. "He… had a dose of something strong earlier."

"When was this?" Loki asked.

"Yelena."

The doctor looked between the two curiously.

"Our son was kidnapped earlier," Loki explained. "Drugged, it would seem."

The doctor began to take notes. "We'll see what we can do from here. This could link the suffocation to a type of mental illness."

Natasha glanced up at the doctor in shock.

"Can we see him?" Loki wondered.

"Not until the MRI is finished. We may have to keep him for observation."

"How long?" Loki asked.

"Depends," the doctor replied. "One, two weeks…"

Loki began to grow worried. "Is he going to be alright?"

"I'll let you see him once the MRI is done." The doctor turned to leave them.

Loki ran a hand through his hair and turned to his wife.

Natasha grabbed her phone. "I'm calling Bruce to put him on this."

"Natasha," he said tiredly. "The doctors here are working just as hard as Dr. Banner. There's only so much we can do."

"He might be really sick, Loki…" Her eyes, red from crying, met with his.

"He'll be fine." Loki pulled her against his chest.

It wasn't until nearly an hour later that the doctor returned to them. "The results should be available in a week. Alexei's asleep right now, but you can see him now."

Loki and Natasha reluctantly followed him to Alexei's room. Resting on a hospital bed hooked up to all sorts of machinery laid their son."He looks better already," Loki told his wife as he noticed the pink in Alexei's cheeks.

Natasha pulled up a chair beside his bed and stroked his hair. "The last time he was here was when he was born," she recalled.

Loki managed a smile. "One of the happiest days of my life…" He rested a hand on his wife's shoulder.

Looking down at her son, she remembered the moment in which she first held him in her arms. He was so tiny, so pink-face and innocent. Now he was in such pain that he resorted to ending his own life. She hunched over the bed, burying her face in the sheets as tears escaped her eyes. "Is there anything _you _can do?" she suddenly asked. "Can't you just heal him?"

"I don't know _what_ the problem is…" He reached out to touch Alexei's chest and felt the steady beating of his heart. "The mind would be too complex for me to heal." His eyes fell. "I wish there _was_ something I could do…"

_"Your parents wouldn't have to worry like this if you were never born, Alexei…"_

Natasha began to stroke Alexei's hand. She should have stopped Yelena sooner before she drugged him. This was all her fault.

_"You've caused them such pain…"_

Loki lowered his eyes. He shouldn't have gone off with Hela. If only he had stayed back, his son could have been spared of this cruel fate. Tears began to roll down his cheeks.

_"Your father once killed nearly one hundred men without a care. Look at him now-crying over a single child…"_ Hela's voice continued.

"We should go home," Loki suggested. "We can come back first thing in the morning."

She shook her head in reply. "I'm not leaving him."

_"And your mother… She was once unaffected by anything. She's an emotional wreck, now. You've made your parents _weak, _Alexei."_

"Maybe he'll wake up," Natasha added as she wiped her eyes.

_"They're far much stronger people without _you _to worry about…"_

"A few more minutes," Loki agreed.

_"Why hold your parents back like this, Alexei?"_

The once persistent beeping of the heart rate monitor began to slow.

"_I can help make you stronger for them, Alexei. Just follow my voice…"_

An uninterrupted beep echoed within the white-washed hospital room. A scream escaped Natasha's throat and Loki rushed off to get a doctor.

Two nurses ran into the room at the beep. One tended to Alexei while the other grabbed Natasha. "We need you to leave, ma'am."

"No!" she shouted. "N-No, Alexei!" she cried.

Loki entered the room behind the doctor. "Natasha, let's go-let them do their job." He dragged his frantic wife out of the way. They watched the staff at work from behind the glass. Loki found himself grabbing his wife's shoulder tightly as he watched the doctor attempt to resuscitate Alexei. By the doctor's third attempt, Loki had looked away, his face hidden in Natasha's hair.

Natasha watched the doctor lower his head and walk towards the door. In that moment, she swore that she felt her heart stop beating as her body froze.

"I'm so sorry," said the doctor. "It seems he just lost the will to live…"

Her knees gave in as she opened her mouth in a wordless scream. Loki dropped to her side and tightly hugged her against him as the tears fell.


	20. Chapter 20

Neither of the two could bring themselves to say a word. They sat crouched on the hospital floor, crying over the loss of their only son.

"I could contact Mr. Fury-or Mr. Stark?" suggested the doctor, trying to help.

Loki responded by shaking his head. He pulled his phone from his pocket and left his wife's side for a moment to make a call. After several rings, there was an answer.

"Hello? Is this on?" asked Thor. Even after owning a cell phone for about ten years, he always had trouble working the device.

"Thor-…" Loki could barely speak. He clenched his fist at his side as he fought to say the words…

"Loki? What is it?"

"A-Alexei's dead." With those words followed a painful silence.

"What happened?" Thor asked, shocked. "Loki-where are you?"

"Hospital… Thor, I-I have to go…" Forcing back a sob, he quickly hung up.

Natasha leaned over Alexei's lifeless body. "Don't do this!" she whispered. "Please, sweetie!" she begged.

Loki sat down on the side of the bed and pressed his palm against Alexei's exposed chest. He tried to concentrate-fighting past his grief to put his healing magic to work. A faint blue glow emanated from his hand. No pulse-no sign of life. Growing anxious, he pressed his other hand over the child's heart. "Alexei," he whispered. His son responded with silence and nothing more. Loki put forth every ounce of his magic he could muster. With no response on his son's behalf, his sadness turned to rage. "Alexei!"

"Loki," Natasha said quietly.

"You're strong, Alexei!" he whispered.

"Loki!" Natasha grabbed his shoulder in an effort to get his attention.

"Can't you see I'm trying to save our son?!" he snapped at her.

She solemnly shook her head. "Please calm down, Loki…" She placed her hand over his blue-tinged one.

Without realizing it, he had unleashed his Jotun side. "Damn it all," he cursed under his breath.

"You tried, right?" Natasha asked with a shaky voice.

The blue colouring disappeared as he hung his head in defeat.

She tightly squeezed her eyes shut as she hugged Loki's neck.

_"It would seem that I have something you hold dear, Loki,"_ Hela's voice whispered inside his head. _"I told you you'll be punished…"_

"Hela!" Loki gasped, whipping his head around.

"What?" Natasha asked.

"Natasha," he gravely began, "he's not dead…"

"What?"

"Hela's stolen his soul…"

Her eyes widened at the mentioning of the concept. "Is that possible?"

"I have to go," he announced. "Don't worry, Natasha," he whispered as he kissed her. "I'll bring our son back."

"No-I'm going with you, Loki!" she snapped. "Don't leave me here…" Her eyes stared over at Alexei's body. "Just don't."

He was quiet for a moment as he looked her in the eyes. "We'll have to tell my father of this first…"

"Loki!" Thor came running into the room, accompanied by Tony and Pepper. "What has happened?"

"Oh, sweetie- we came the second Thor told us." With tears in her eyes, Pepper threw her arms around Natasha.

"I need to talk with father," Loki announced to Thor. "This is about Hela. She's taken Alexei's soul to punish me."

"How can you be sure?" Thor questioned.

Loki grew silent. "Her voice… It called out to me."

Tony thought Loki had gone insane, but he had enough respect during this dreaded time to not speak.

"Please don't fret," Loki warned his friends. "Natasha and I will save Alexei. We promised," he added, turning to his wife.

"Loki, dear, this…" Like Tony, Pepper also noted the craziness of Loki's plan.

"I'm trusting him on this," Natasha whispered to Pepper as she pulled away from her hug. She went to her husband's side and held his hand. "To Asgard. Together."


	21. Chapter 21

Darkness enveloped the endless path, making it feel like a nightmare. There were no turns, no twists or curves, just a straight and seemingly endless trail. The boy tried to stop running, but it was as though something-some_one _was pulling him in.

_"You're almost there, Alexei…"_

He finally reached an iron gate. His small hand pushed against the bars and opened it. Past the gateway was a world completely new to the child. A gloomy air lingered all around. People of all ages wandered the cobblestone streets before him.

"You've made it." A familiar voice said from behind him. "Welcome home, Alexei," Hela smiled wickedly, her mouth turning up in a grin.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"Somewhere you will be appreciated." She placed a hand over his bare shoulder.

Alexei happened to stare at her hand and realized that he was completely nude.

"You are far better off here," she continued.

"I-I wanna go home," he stuttered as he lowered his hands to cover his crotch.

"You were an accident to begin with," she assured him. "Your parents don't need you anymore."

He bowed his head as she said that.

"Now then." She knelt down to be at his level. "I promised to make you brave, did I not?"

"You can do that?" he asked.

She smiled for the boy. "Perhaps starting with the physical side will be a good start," she commented to herself. A hand pressed against the child's head and she slowly rose to her feet until Alexei towered over her. She stood back a moment to admire the man that stood before her. "You may be even more attractive than your father…" she mused as she brought a finger to her lips.

Alexei felt lightheaded and had to squeeze his eyes shut. He was taken by surprise as he saw that Hela was at least six inches shorter than him. "Wha-?" He took a step back, only to nearly lose his balance.

Hela grabbed his strong arm and pulled him towards her.

He stared down at himself and panicked as he failed to recognise his own body. Long limbs, a muscular torso- Alexei felt nothing like himself. He stared down at his large hands and was reminded of his father. "What did you do to me?" The voice that passed his lips was deep and unfamiliar.

"Don't you feel braver already, Alexei?" she asked as her finger traced along the contours of his chest. Hela led him off into her Victorian-like palace. There was a floor length mirror near the entranceway, allowing for Alexei to have a good look at his reflection.

His hand reached out to touch the mirror and the reflection reached towards him. The first thing he was drawn to was his face. There were no traces of the round childishness-Hela was right, he _did _seem to resemble his father. He had a strong jaw line, cheekbones-the only things that seemed familiar were his short, black curls, and his mother's emerald eyes. Hela appeared beside the mirror's reflection, her fingers tracing over his naked body. "Stop that," Alexei warned her with a low growl.

Hela flashed him a devious grin. "Look at you, Alexei. So manly."

He pushed her hand of his hipbone. As his eyes lowered, he happened to catch sight of her cleavage and felt his body grow hot.

"How about I show you what it means to be a man?"

Alexei stared into the mirror, mesmerized by the man staring back. "Will that make me brave? My parents-will it make them want me?"

She giggled softly. "Dear boy, you'll be strong enough to take on your parents yourself. Her hand reached down to give his hard cock a gentle squeeze.

He flinched at her touch. "That feels weird. I-I want clothes," he breathed.

"You're better off without them…" Hela escorted him to her chambers and pushed him down on the bed. She crawled over his body and began to kiss his neck.

"G-Get off of me!" he shouted.

The woman only continued placing kisses upon his bare skin, her lips trailing lower and lower down his torso. "This will make your feel so much better, sweet Alexei," she crooned before taking him into her mouth.

Alexei's head fell against her pillow as he let out a gasp. He couldn't understand how something so vulgar made him feel so good. "S-Stop it!" he stammered.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, Please! Your parents do this all the time, I'm sure!" she growled. "You're so young and innocent on the inside," she giggled. "You have much to learn." She removed her dress, fully revealing her naked body to the innocent man.

Alexei turned his head to look away. He felt so guilty… but if his parents did it, then it must have been okay. Curiosity, however, got the best of him and he found himself staring at her large breasts, then her crotch.

"Look all you want," she told him with a smile. The man beneath her looked away. She grabbed his wrist and brought it up to her right breast. "Don't be shy, Alexei."

"I-I don't like this," he whined.

"Someday you'll thank me," she promised. Grabbing his erect member, she slowly lowered herself over him, gasping from the size.

A groan passed Alexei's lips as Hela's inner walls stroked his cock. His hips subconsciously began to thrust into her, making the woman moan. He grabbed her by the hips and forced her onto her back. Alexei didn't know what his body was doing, but he knew that he had to move faster. He went deeper and harder into her with every thrust in an effort to relieve the unknown itch within. A strange feeling came over him and he stopped, his cock still inside of Hela.

"K-Keep going!" she panted, digging her nails into his shoulders.

"I feel really weird," he admitted, his face red.

"Keep going. You'll be fine," she promised.

Alexei decided to take the woman's advice and continued. Panting, he kept forcing himself into the woman's hot sex until he came. He pulled out of her, shocked and embarrassed by his actions. "W-Was that supposed to happen?"

Hela groaned, feeling unfulfilled on the inside. "You could have held back and you would've been perfect."

"I-I don't feel any braver…" he quietly informed her. Inside, he felt guilty, but at the same time, accomplished.

She placed a hand over his chest and looked him in the eyes. "Listen to me closely, Alexei."

He listened, mesmerized by the blood-red colour of her irises.

"You're mine now, Alexei." Her eyes began to flicker. "You listen to no one but me, is that clear?"

He dumbly nodded. Her gaze had him hypnotized.

"I want you to forget everything now. All you know is that your name is Alexei and you are my slave."

"Yes, my lady," he replied, bowing his head.

A sly grin formed across her lips. "That's a good boy."


	22. Chapter 22

"Please, Father," Loki begged. "Natasha and I have to save Alexei. Let _us _be the ones to claim his soul."

"You're sure of this, Loki?" asked Frigga, growing more concerned.

"She can _kill _you, Loki," Odin reminded his son.

"She wouldn't!" Loki snapped, clenching his fists. "She needs me to help her with whatever terrors she has planned…"

Odin remained silent for a moment. "I insist on going with you."

Loki shook his head. "No. This is between Hela and I. Please, Father…"

Odin stared into the pleading eyes of his son and daughter-in-law. "I will allow the two of you to enter Hel solely to return with your son's soul," he began. "_I_ shall be the one to sentence her to a new punishment," he warned them. "I refuse to put you two at any more risk. Your son needs you."

Loki turned to his wife, then to Odin. "Agreed." He held Natasha's hand in his, squeezing it tightly.

Odin led the couple to the Bifrost where he and his wife bid them farewell. "Make haste, my son," Odin warned him.

Loki nodded and Natasha clung to him as they were sent off to Hel.

….

"You've got two new arrivals," a woman's voice called out. "I think you're gonna like them," she winked.

Alexei couldn't help but stare at the blonde woman in the doorway. She seemed familiar to him-he knew her somehow.

Hela pressed a finger to her lips. "Interesting." She turned her head to the side to watch Alexei finish adjusting a silver vambrace at his arm. "You look very handsome," she commented. "Come, Alexei, we have guests to greet."

"Yes, my Lady." Alexei, now dressed in a combination of black leathers and navy blue fabrics with silver armor, followed after Hela.

"Who's the man?" asked the blonde as she walked alongside Hela.

"He doesn't seem familiar? You've met him before, Yelena," Hela reminded her.

Yelena stopped in her tracks to get a better look at the man. The eyes were a giveaway for her. "This isn't… No!" she gasped.

"I told you that I have power over time."

"So this is really the kid?" Yelena wondered.

"Yes. His memories, however, have been erased," she noted as Alexei eyed Yelena curiously.

"I'm sure someone's mommy and daddy will _love _that!" Yelena remarked, rolling her eyes.

…..

The darkness seemed to linger around the atmosphere like a thick fog. "I used to wonder if falling in love with you would drag me to hell," Natasha dryly commented.

"Just stay with me," Loki warned her, his eyes narrowed. "Hela's a challenge for me, as it is." He began walking forward towards the iron gates and began to tug at them to no avail.

"You promised Odin we'd get Alexei and be out!" she reminded him.

"Do you not want proper revenge?" He outstretched his hand, ready to use his magic as necessary.

She clenched her fists. "You know I do…But, Loki-…"

Before Loki could cast a spell, Hela proceeded towards the gate with Yelena and a cloaked figure looming behind her. "Where is my son, Hela!" he demanded in a snarl.

"Patience, Loki," the woman smiled. She happened to notice Natasha at his side. "Well, since you're both here, I might as well introduce you to the _new _Alexei." She summoned the figure behind her to come forward. The gate swung open and she held Alexei's hand as they stepped forward.

"What kind of a joke is this, Hela?" Loki growled. He paid no mind to her servant-he only looked past her in hopes of spotting his son.

"Loki…" Natasha shook her head, unable to take her eyes off of the strange yet familiar man before her. "_Bozhe moi,_" she gasped as she approached the stranger. A feeling deep in her gut told her that she knew exactly who the man was. Her hand reached out to touch his soft, black curls. "Alexei?" she asked as she gazed into his green eyes-_her _eyes.

"What?" Loki asked in shock. He stared at the man and suddenly, the resemblance became clear.

"Hela, who are these people?" Alexei asked.

"Your enemies," she grinned. "Just stand back, Alexei," she ordered. "Yelena, you take the woman. This one is all mine," she added as she inched towards Loki.

Alexei simply stared at the man with raven black hair and the red-haired woman as a feeling in his gut told him that he _definitely _knew them.

"What have you done?!" Loki grabbed Hela by the shoulders and violently shook her.

"My Lady!" Alexei readied himself to defend her, but Yelena blocked his path.

"I've simply made him into a man. More than _you _could ever do for him, Loki," she giggled.

Natasha ran towards Alexei, only to have Yelena stand in her way.

"Looks like you're _never _getting rid of me, Tasha," she snickered.

"Believe me, I _will_," Natasha retorted.

Loki shoved Hela up against the gate, pressing his arm against her neck. "What. Have. You. Done?" His eyes burned with hatred.

"I've simply made things more fun." Despite being choked, Hela managed to keep a smile plastered across her lips.

"Fix it!" Loki ordered through clenched teeth. "Return my son's soul to us!"

"Why?" she asked. "He's better off without you. Look how _weak _you've grown because of him, Loki-you and your wife!"

"She's right, you know," Yelena warned her opponent. "I mean, since when did the Black Widow start blatantly showing emotions?"

Natasha lunged at her, her fingers tightening around Yelena's neck.

"Trying to kill me?" she mocked. "How stupid are you?"

"What is it that you want?" Loki asked Hela.

Hela forced his arm away from her neck and grabbed his face. "You. The old you, Loki-don't you miss the good old days?"

He lowered his eyes as he thought of his wife and son. "Things have changed now…"

Natasha's thumbs dug into Yelena's neck. She broke the skin, only there was no blood.

"What an idiot!" the blonde scoffed. She grabbed hold of Natasha's left arm and pushed inwards until she heard a sickening snap.

Natasha failed to fight back the scream that escaped her throat as she dropped to her side.

"Natasha!" Loki quickly turned his head and let go of Hela.

"Or perhaps it's love that's made you so weak!" Hela sneered. She grabbed a fistful of Loki's hair and whipped him around. "No matter-it's only going to make torturing you that much easier." She shoved Loki up against the gate and used magic to bind his wrists to the bars. "Yelena, back away!" she snapped at the blonde who hovered over Natasha's limp figure. "Alexei, finish this one off."

He nodded in reply and carefully approached the woman. His fingers grabbed the collar of her uniform and he forced her to her feet.

The pain in her arm was forcing her to flutter in and out of consciousness. "A-Alexei," she breathed as her eyes met with his.

Alexei had been ordered to kill, yet the look in the woman's eyes gave him second thoughts. He _knew_ her from somewhere. But where? He could feel Hela's stare and knew he should end the woman's suffering.

"Alexei?"

Her voice felt so familiar. He tightly shut his eyes as he tried to recall how he knew her.

With Alexei distracted, Natasha decided to take a risk. She clenched her fist and punched him in the gut, activating her stingers. Technically, he shouldn't be harmed, she thought to herself.

Alexei's eyes rolled back into his head. The second his world went black, he could remember exactly who the two strangers were. "M-Mom?" he murmured in a state of unconsciousness.


	23. Chapter 23

"Alexei!?" Suddenly, the man that lay sprawled out before Natasha transformed back into a small child. The clothes that had snuggly fit him now remained loose and baggy.

"What in the seven hels?!" Hela hissed. How did her spell unravel like that?

"Oh, Alexei!" Natasha reached out to stroke his cheek.

"What's the deal?" Yelena turned to face Hela. "Your spell can't even handle some electric shock therapy? Some magic!" she scoffed, her hand on her hip.

Hela shook her head. "My magic cannot be undone so simply!" she snarled.

Loki used some magic of his own to free himself. "It would seem his power surpasses yours, Hela." Loki slyly remarked.

"Never!" she spat back at him. "It isn't possible!"

"Well, he _is _my son," he informed her matter-of-factly. "His powers may even surpass my own," he continued as he knelt down to his wife's side. Carefully, he raised her injured arm to heal it.

Natasha lifted her son's unconscious form into her arms.

"Oh no you don't!" Hela shouted.

"I promised my father not to harm you, Hela," said Loki calmly. "We came for my son. That is all." Loki took Alexei from his wife's arms and allowed the child to rest his head against his shouder.

She took a step towards Loki. "Oh, we wouldn't want to upset daddy dearest, now would we?"

"Odin will see to it that your punishment will be most worthy of your crimes."

"You _and_ Yelena," Natasha warned the two women.

"I believe our business is finished here," Loki informed Hela. He held Natasha's hand in his. "Goodbye, Hela."

"Oh no you don't!" Hela scowled. She grabbed Alexei from his arms. The boy awoke regained consciousness and began to scream.

Loki's hand formed a fist. "Put him down, Hela!"

"Or what?" she taunted. "Go against Lord Odin, Loki! Go on!" she encouraged.

"Let me go!" Alexei shouted as he wriggled in her arms.

Hela rolled her eyes. "You were much more charming as a man. Yelena, take him while I deal with these two."

Yelena took Alexei and threw him over her shoulder.

"Put him down!" Natasha yelled.

"Oh, I'll put him down!" the blonde hissed.

Alexei squirmed under her grasp. He raised himself up and leaned over to bite Yelena on the shoulder.

"Little shit!" she growled.

The boy responded by biting her harder until Yelena grabbed his baggy clothing and threw him to the ground.

"How about you try killing me again, Romanoff?" Yelena asked Natasha. "You're pissed, I can tell."

"Alexei, I want you to run away!" Natasha warned her son.

"He's good at that," Yelena rudely commented. The next thing she knew, Natasha was charging towards her and throwing punches in her direction.

Alexei couldn't help but sink back, feeling defeated by Yelena's comment. It was true, though… Right now, he just wanted to obey his mother and run. As much as he wanted to help, he felt useless. Just as he was about to run, he caught sight of his father.

Hela's eyes narrowed as her gaze met with Loki's. "I'll give you one last chance, Loki," she began. "You can join me, or you die."

Loki's eyes met with his son's and a confident smile formed across his face. "You know I'd rather die than be with you, Hela."

She returned the smile. "You've grown foolish, Loki."

Alexei watched wide-eyed as Hela's left hand began to decay. The woman approached his father who, despite being so close to death, remained unfazed by the danger. "Dad," he whispered. He suddenly broke out in a mad dash towards Hela. Maybe be was about to do something stupid that he would surely regret, but he could suddenly recall his mother's words. _'But no matter what happens, we'll protect you no matter what.' _If his parents were willing to die for him, then he would gladly do the same for them in return. He lunged at Hela's leg and latched on.

Loki took advantage of Hela's shock to rip the cloak off of her shoulders.

Alexei couldn't help but stare up at Hela as the left side of her body turned into rotting, decayed flesh.

"She can't hurt you," Loki told Alexei as he rolled up the green fabric into a ball. "She's completely powerless."

Alexei ran to his father and threw his arms around his hips.

"You saved my life, Alexei," Loki began.

The child began to cry, but buried his face against Loki's side so he wouldn't see. "I-I didn't want you to die. And… Mom said you'd always protect me. I-I wanted to protect you, Dad." His tear-filled eyes stared up at Loki.

Loki knelt down to be at level with his son. "That was very brave of you," he proudly told him as he stroked his hair. "You're very brave, Alexei-don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Alexei sniffed and wiped his eyes with his hands. "You also broke the spell Hela had over you," he added.

"I-I did?!" he asked in surprise.

"When did you become so strong?" he playfully asked.

Natasha fired a sting at Yelena, but nothing seemed to faze her.

"Funny how this whole living versus the dead works, huh?" Yelena mused. "I hurt you, you can't touch me…"

"Who said I had to hurt you to fight you?" Natasha currently had her pinned down with an arm behind her back. She began to twist Yelena's arm around until it was unrealistically bent out of place. Digging into a pouch at her side, she pulled out a knife and sliced her arm clean off.

Yelena's eyes widened as she watched her severed arm being thrown before her.

"I can rip you apart piece by piece and you wouldn't feel a thing," Natasha mused. "It's not as much fun," she shrugged, "but it seems to stop you." She brought the knife to Yelena's throat and slashed her head clean off.

Loki happened to glance in Natasha's direction. "Alexei, shut your eyes for a moment, won't you?" he asked before going over to Natasha. "Leave some for my father to deal with," he chuckled.

Natasha rose to her feet. "He never said anything against hurting Yelena," she reminded him, slipping her hand between his.

"But I believe Alexei needs to return home," Loki added.

"So… How do we do this?" she asked him. "His soul?"

"My father will handle things from here. Alexei," he called out.

The child opened his eyes with a smile.

"Stay here while we get your grandfather."

"Are you coming back?" he asked sadly.

"You'll see us very shortly," Loki promised.

Alexei watched as his parents suddenly vanished.

….

Loki and Natasha reappeared in Alexei's hospital room.

"Shit," Tony breathed, taken by surprise.

Pepper stared up at them, eyes red from crying.

"It's gonna be okay," Natasha assured her.

"Oh, thank God," she gasped in relief.

During the time the couple was gone, the rest of the Avengers had gathered, along with Nick Fury, Coulson, and Maria Hill.

Natasha went to sit on the edge of her son's bed with Loki standing beside her.

"Alexei?" Loki asked softly.

After a moment, the colour began to return to the boy's face. Slowly, he opened his eyes and began to blearily look around. "Mom? Dad?" He bolted upright and Natasha threw her arms around him.

"Never scare us like that again!" Natasha warned him.

"He's alright. Aren't you, Alexei?" Loki asked with a smile.

"Yeah," he replied. "I'm okay."

"Hey, this calls for a celebration!" Tony exclaimed.

Pepper wiped her eyes with a tissue as she escorted her husband out of the room. "Let's give them some time alone," she whispered. The others followed behind, leaving Alexei alone with his parents.

"Why did you do it, Alexei?" Natasha asked.

He looked away from her, suddenly ashamed. "She said you didn't need me."

"She's a liar," Loki warned him. "You know we love you dearly, Alexei."

The boy lowered his head.

"You know we love you, right?" Natasha asked, fighting back tears. "You mean the world to us…"

"D-Don't I hold you back? Weren't you stronger without me?" Despite trying his best not to cry, he failed.

"Strength isn't everything, Alexei," Loki said quietly.

"If anything, you've made us stronger and better people," Natasha added. "Your dad and I weren't exactly the best people before you…" She forced a laugh.

Loki smoothed Alexei's messy hair. "Don't listen to what anyone else says. Your mother and I love you. You're also on your way to becoming strong, Alexei. For now, just enjoy your youth."

"I saved Dad," Alexei told his mother proudly. "Did you know that, Mom?"

She hugged him tightly. "Thanks, Alexei." She kissed his hair. "For everything."

…..

Their night consisted of a party at the Avengers Tower with all of their friends and their families. Tony had insisted that they all got together to celebrate Alexei's being alive, but everyone knew that he just wanted to throw a party. While Alexei was off playing with Tony and Pepper's two kids, Natasha pulled her husband aside so they could have a moment alone.

"Yes?" Loki asked with a smile. He leaned against the wall, casually swirling around the contents of his glass.

"I was thinking," she began. For a moment, she pursed her lips as she searched for the right words. "A year after Alexei was born, I remember you asking me about some things…"

He raised a brow and waited for her to continue. "Yes?"

"You know," she shrugged, turning her attention to Alexei as he played with his friends. Was Loki going to make her say it? "You wanted another baby," she reminded him.

His began chuckling quietly. "And I recall you declining the offer."

"But…" Her eyes met with his. "I don't know, if maybe, by another miracle…" She could feel her face growing hot.

"You want another child?" He raised a brow.

She shrugged. "I didn't even realize I could _have _a baby until you came around," she said jokingly. "It's not a guarantee," she reminded him. "But if, you know, something comes up… Alexei can have a little brother or sister to look out for."

Loki's smile widened. "You have a deal, Mrs. Odinson." He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her lips.

…..

Shortly after Alexei had turned nine, Loki and Natasha pulled Alexei aside one night to have a talk.

"Am I in trouble?" he innocently asked.

"No," Loki smiled. "Your mother and I just wanted to talk with you."

"Cuz it sounds like I'm in trouble," he continued.

"Alexei," Natasha interrupted, "we're having a baby."

He blinked, unsure of how to react.

"Alex?" she asked.

"I get a little brother?" he dumbly asked.

"Or a sister," Natasha corrected.

"Doesn't that sound fun?" Loki asked. "You can have someone to look out for and protect." He couldn't help but recall his own childhood and how Thor had always watched out for him.

"Where is he!?" Alexei suddenly asked in excitement.

Natasha couldn't help but laugh at his eagerness. "You have to wait another six months, at least, buddy."

"But that's a long time," he whined.

"Absence makes the heart fonder," Loki told him. "Patience, Alexei."

"Then where do babies come from?" he asked.

Natasha turned to her husband. "Are there any clever Asgardian stories for this?" Loki paused before shaking his head. "I'll get the book Pepper gave me, then," she said before leaving the couch.

….

"C'mon, buddy, cheer up," Clint smiled. Currently, he was sitting in a hospital waiting room with Alexei, who was crying. "Aren't you excited to meet your sister?"

"Sh-she's hurting my mom!" he pouted.

Despite looking after an upset Alexei for a good portion of the day, Clint still managed to keep his cool. "You caused your mom a lot of pain, too," he informed him.

"Really?" he asked.

Clint laughed as he remembered how he visited Natasha while she was in labor with Alexei. "I thought she was gonna kill me. It might've been that joke I made about Budapest, now that I think about it…"

Alexei stared up at Clint in confusion.

"Very smooth, Clint," Pepper commented from the chair across from them.

"She was scared before, but she'll be okay. The whole 'second time around' thing."

"Yeah, the second time's always better," Tony chimed in.

"Excuse me, but who are _you_ to talk?" Pepper scolded him. "I don't recall _you_ having to give birth to our children!"

"Hey, I gave them life!" Tony added in defense. "Life and love-what more could you ask for?"

"Nice save, Tony," Steve commented with a laugh, accompanied by Alexei and the others.

"Any news?" Thor asked. He had just returned from a coffee run.

"Nothing yet," Bruce replied. "She was at eight centimeters an hour ago."

Alexei sighed and leaned his head against Clint's arm.

"Don't fall asleep, buddy," Clint said as he gave the child a gentle nudge.

"I want Mom," he said sadly.

"Just sit tight for a little longer, okay?"

After about half an hour of waiting, Loki stepped into the waiting room with a huge grin on his face.

"Dad!" Alexei jumped out of his seat and ran to his father.

"Ready to meet Leah?" he asked his son.

"Yeah!" Alexei exclaimed.

"So they're okay? Nat and the baby?" Clint asked.

"They're both fine," Loki assured the archer. "You can all come see them now," he added.

"I wanna see Mom!" said Alexei, pulling on Loki's hand.

"Alright," he smiled, leading the way into the room.

"Mom!" Alexei exclaimed. He ran to the edge of the bed and leaned over to sneak a peak at the bundle in her arms.

"Say hi to Leah, Alexei," Natasha smiled tiredly.

"She's so little," he gasped. The baby was fast asleep in her mother's arms. She had pink cheeks and under her pink hat poked out tufts of dark red hair.

"Do you want to hold her?" Natasha asked.

Alexei nodded, smiling widely.

"Sit down, okay?"

Alexei carefully climbed up onto the bed at Natasha's side.

"Make sure you support her head, okay? Be careful," Natasha added as she handed the newborn over.

"What do you think, Alexei?" Loki asked.

"She's cute, I guess," he smiled.

"You're best be a good older brother to her," Loki warned him with a grin.

"I will," he nodded.

Loki stood beside his wife and ran his fingers through her hair. "You've made me a lucky man, Natasha," he began. "I have an absolutely fantastic wife, two perfect children..."

She tugged on his shirt collar until his lips met with hers. "I could say the same to you. I love you, Loki," she admitted.

"I love you, too, Natasha," he replied before kissing her again.

**A/N: The End! Thanks so much to all my readers and to all the reviewers/followers/favers/etc. You're all awesome and I love you all! I hope to see you again soon and I hope you enjoyed!**


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